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Electroplating 

A Treatise for the Beginner and for the 
Most Experienced Electroplater 



t> / BY 




** HENRY C. REETZ 



POPULAR MECHANICS 
TWENTY-FIVE-CENT HANDBOOK SERIES 



' V ' 



CHICAGO 

POPULAR MECHANICS COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 













Copyright, 1911 

By 
H. H. WINDSOR 








<y 



©CJ. A 28654 3 



THIS book is one of the series of 
handbooks on industrial subjects 
being published by the Popular 
Mechanics Company. Like the 
Magazine, these books are "written 
so you can understand it," and are 
intended to furnish information on 
mechanical subjects at a price within 
the reach of all. 

The texts and illustrations have 
been prepared expressly for this 
Handbook Series, by experts; are 
up-to-date, and have been revised by 
the editor of Popular Mechanics. 



CONTENTS 



Page 

Chapter I — Introduction 9 

Chapter II — The Electrical Equipment 15 

Chapter III — Shop Equipment 30 

Chapter IV — Cleaning Goods before Plating 53 

Chapter V — Copperplating 56 

Chapter VI — Nickelplating 58 

Chapter VII — Silverplating . 65 

Chapter VIII — Goldplating 74 

Chapter IX — Miscellaneous 85 

Chapter X — First Aid to the Injured 92 

Chapter XI — Business Suggestions 96 



ELECTROPLATING 



CHAPTER I 

INTRODUCTION 

ELECTROPLATING, as commonly understood, is the 
coating of an inferior with a more valuable metal by 
means of electricity. It is scientifically defined as "the 
art or process of covering any electrically conducting mate- 
rial with an adherent and lasting film of metal, in a bath 
containing a solution of that metal, by means of the elec- 
trolytic action induced by a current from a battery or 
dynamo." This technical definition may seem rather diffi- 
cult for the average reader to understand, but will be made 
plain as we proceed step by step with the subject. 

It is not necessary that the electroplater, in making a 
beginning, should have a scientific knowledge of chemistry 
and electricity, although, unquestionably, the better posted 
he is in those branches of the sciences that relate to his 
trade, the more likely he is to succeed. While it is quite 
possible for a man of average skill to fit himself to be an 
expert electroplater in certain lines, by a careful study of 
methods and apparatus, and especially by imitating a 
practical plater, yet it goes without saying that, the more 
he can absorb of the real science of the business, the why 
of the how, the less will be his trouble with batteries and 
solutions and the greater will be his success. 

In this handbook, therefore, we will endeavor to give 
brief and practical directions calculated to be of benefit to 
those already engaged, as well as to those about to engage, 
in the electroplating business, with no more technical detail 
than is necessary for practical work, and yet with such 
explicit directions concerning the actual operations as an 



10 INTRODUCTION 

old hand at the business thinks may be useful to the 
beginner. 

Two things will be urged at the start, and, but for the 
necessity of being brief, they would be repeated on every 
page, for without them success cannot be expected. They 
are: 

Use care at every step. Nowhere is carelessness more 
costly than in the electroplating shop. Constant vigilance 
is the price of success. 

Study the why of things. Know why you do this and 
that, and you will be more apt to do it right. If you know 
what you are about at every stage of the process and do 
things right, the work will come out right, and all will be 
well. If you blunder along, hit or miss, you will be inquir- 
ing the price of junk before you are six months older. 

OLD AND NEW METHODS 

In electroplating, the apparatus which supplies the elec- 
tric current, through the aid of which the film of metal is 
deposited on the article to be plated, is, of course, the essen- 
tial feature. The ancients used to hammer out a thin leaf 
of gold or silver and solder it to a surface, often doing 
really excellent work, but this was a most tedious and 
expensive process. A kind of plating is also done by 
immersion in melted metal, usually a soft composition. 
This is not permanent and could not be employed with 
precious metals on account of the expense. 

Modern plating, or real plating, is electroplating, by 
which we use a small amount of metal, deposit it evenly, 
thoroughly, and in a short time, and yet obtain lasting and 
most satisfactory results. Electric current does the work. 

HOW METAL IS DEPOSITED 

In simple forms of electroplating apparatus, the bath 
containing the metallic solution may itself form the bat- 
tery, and copper is easily deposited in this manner. The 



INTRODUCTION 



11 



more common and practical plan, however, is to obtain 
current from a source outside the bath, as from a regu- 
larly , constructed electric battery or dynamo. 

When articles are to be electroplated, they are suspended 
by wires in the plating tank, which contains a solution of 
the metal which is to be deposited on them. From another 




Fig:. 1. Connections for Electroplating: 



wire is hung a piece of the same metal as that in the 
solution. The articles to be plated are connected by a 
wire to the negative pole of a battery and the metal plate 
is connected in the same way to the positive pole of the 
battery. 

Now the metallic solution in the tank will conduct the 
electricity, and so a complete electric circuit is formed 



12 



INTRODUCTION 



by which the current flows from the positive pole of the 
battery through the connecting wire to the metal plate 
hanging in the tank. From the metal plate, it flows through 
the solution to the article to be plated and thence back 
through the other wire to the negative pole of the battery 
— completing the circuit. Fig. i shows the path of the 
current in an electroplating circuit. 

The metal plate attached to the positive pole of the bat- 
tery is called the "anode" and the objects to be plated in 
the tank are called "cathodes." The use of these terms 
can be understood if we think of the battery as being below 




Fig. 2. Simple Electroplating Outfit 



the plating tank, as shown in the illustration. "Anode" is 
a Greek word meaning "the way up"— from the battery 
to the solution — and "cathode" means "the way down." 
By the action of the current, particles of metal are attracted 
from the solution to the articles to be plated, and at the 
same time an equal amount of the same metal is thrown 
off the anodes into the solution. Thus, although the solu- 
tion is being constantly robbed of metal, it is being fed at 
the same time, and so its strength is maintained. Of 
course, the anodes must be plates of the same metal as 
that contained in the solution; thus, silver anodes in a sil- 



INTRODUCTION 13 

ver solution, nickel anodes in a nickel solution, etc. The 
process by which the electric current affects the decompo- 
sition of the metal to be deposited on the articles to be 
plated is called "electrolysis." 

To make all this very plain, and to start the beginner at 
once with a practical working experiment, the diagram, Fig. 
2, shows a very simple plating outfit which anyone can make 
at home. The explanations given will help the beginner 
to master the first principles of electroplating. A silver- 
plating outfit has been selected for illustration because sil- 
ver is the metal most easily deposited and therefore is a 
favorite with experimenters. 

HOW TO MAKE A SMALL SILVERPLATING OUTFIT. 

For a tank take an ordinary glass fruit jar or any other 
receptacle of glass, not metal, which will hold I qt. of 
liquid. Fill it nearly full with rain or distilled water and 
then add J4 oz. of silver chloride and iy 2 oz. of chemically 
pure potassium cyanide. Let this dissolve and incorporate 
well with the water before using. This is the bath. 

Take an ordinary wet battery and fasten two copper 
wires to the terminals, as in Fig. I. Fasten the other ends 
of the wires to two rods of heavy copper wire or J^-in. 
brass pipe, which are to be laid across the top of the 
"tank." The wires must be well soldered to the rods to 
make a good connection. 

When the solution is ready, which is when the crystals 
are entirely dissolved, the outfit is ready for work. Pro- 
cure a small piece of silver, a silver button, ring, chain, or 
anything made entirely of sterling silver, fasten a small cop- 
per wire to this, and hang it by this wire to the rod con- 
nected with the carbon of the battery. This forms the 
anode. The article to be plated is to be suspended in a 
similar manner from the other rod and will form the 
cathode. 

Be sure that the article to be plated is chemically clean. 



14 INTRODUCTION 

It may be cleaned by scrubbing with pumice and a brush sat- 
urated in water. When cleaning an article, there should 
always be a copper wire attached to it. It should never be 
touched by the hand after you have once started to clean 
it, because the touch of the fingers will deposit enough 
grease to cause the silver plate to peel ofif when finished. 
When well scoured, run clear, cold water over the article 
and, if it appears at all greasy, place it in hot water. When 
well cleaned, place it in the plating bath and carefully 
watch the results. 

If small bubbles appear on the surface of the bath, you 
will know that you have too much of the anode immersed 
and you must draw out the piece until you can see no more 
bubbles. The surface of the anode should be about the 
same as the surface of the article to be plated. If the 
anode is too large, bubbles will appear, as stated; if too 
small, the metal contained in the solution will be exhausted. 

Leave the piece to be plated in the solution for about 
half an hour, then take it out, clean off* the yellowish scum 
with a toothbrush and some pumice, rinse in clean water 
and dry in sawdust. When it is thoroughly dry, take a 
cotton flannel rag and some polishing powder and polish 
the article. It must have a fine polish before plating if it 
is desired to have a finely polished surface after the plate 
is put on. 

To see if your battery is working, take a small copper 
wire and touch one end to the anode rod and the other to 
the cathode rod. When these two ends are touched and 
separated, there should be a small spark. 

This description applies only to silverplating. Articles 
of lead, pewter, tin or any other soft metal cannot be 
silverplated unless they have first been copperplated. This, 
as stated, is merely an experiment to interest the beginner 
and to form a sort of object lesson which will enable him 
to grasp more easily the details which follow and the 
reasons why. 



CHAPTER II 

THE ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT 

ELECTRIC current used for electroplating is derived 
either from voltaic cells or from dynamo-electric gen- 
erators, usually called "dynamos. " If power is available, 
a dynamo is of course in the long run the most economical 
means of producing the electric current required for electro- 
plating. But if a dynamo is out of the question, either for 
want of power or on account of the initial expense, its 
place can be very satisfactorily filled by batteries coupled 
together in sufficient number to produce the required cur- 
rent. 

ELECTRIC BATTERIES 

An electric battery is composed of several cells, although 
a cell is sometimes called a battery. The cells are of vari- 
ous kinds, wet and dry, and the wet cells may be of single 
or double liquid. The types described below refer to kinds 
or patterns of cells, and not to any special patents. There 
are as many special kinds of electric cells, or batteries, as 
there are manufacturing concerns, and even more. As a 
general rule, the higher-priced cells are likely to be worth 
all the money asked, and the cheaper ones really cost more 
in the end. This rule will apply pretty generally to chem- 
icals and to all supplies. The beginner is advised to get as 
few articles as possible, and get the best ; then to use them 
carefully, so as to get the greatest value out of them. 

With regard to the different kinds of cells, the Smee and 
Wollaston are perhaps the most common types of single- 
liquid cells, and the Daniell, Fuller, Bunsen, and gravity 
cells may be taken as representative patterns of double- 
liquid cells. The principle consists in the exciting of an 
electric current by the solution (by an acid or an acid salt) 
of the readily attacked (or "negative") metal, in conjunc- 

15 



16 



THE ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT 



tion with a metal or other element (as carbon) not so 
readily attacked (this being called the "positive" metal or 
element), the effect being to produce what is called a "dif- 
ference of potential" which sets up an "electromotive 
force" that tends to drive a current of electricity around 
the circuit when a passage is completed for it outside the 
cell. 

The electric current has several properties, among which 
we may consider force and quantity, both of which are 
governed or influenced by the resistance of the bodies 
through which the current passes. This has often been 
compared to water in a pipe, which may be under a varying 

pressure according to the level, 
and may have a flow according 
to the opening at the faucet. The 
difference of potential may be 
likened to the water level, the 
electromotive force to the pres- 
sure, and the current to the flow 
or volume of water. For some 
purposes, a very high voltage* is 
required, and for others, as in 
electroplating, a low voltage and 
a large volume of current are 
needed. We will now consider 
the construction of the cells, and 
then the methods of connecting 
them»to get the desired results. 

THE SMEE CELL 

The smee cell, Fig. 3, is a 
square glass jar having two zinc 
plates held together by a clamp, 
and between them, well insu- 
lated, a platinum plate, or a sil- 
ver plate covered with "plat- 




Fig. 3. Smee Cell 



unit 



The "volt" is the practical unit of electromotive force. The "ohm " is the 
of resistance. The "ampere" is the unit of current. 



THE ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT 



17 




Fig. 4. Daniell Cell 



inum black," which is a preparation of finely divided 
platinum, black in color, obtained by the action of potassium 
hydrate on platinum chloride. 
Platinum black has the property 
of absorbing or occluding gases, 
and is employed in the Smee cell 
for this purpose. The plates 
must have sufficient room so as 
not to come in contact with the 
zinc sulphate that forms by the 
dissolving of the plates. The 
vessel is filled with a solution of 
sulphuric acid (by measure, i 
part of the acid to 7 parts of 
water) and is then ready for 
use. Connections are made by a 
small copper wire, No. 16 gauge, 
with the zinc element to the 
cathode rod, and from the plat- 
inum element to the anode rod. Several cells may be placed 
together in a frame and connected to form a battery. The 
Smee cell has the advantage of being able to give a fairly 
steady current for a long time, as the platinum black prevents 
'the accumulation on the positive element of bubbles of gas 
which would result in a decrease and final stoppage of the 
current, an efifect known as "polarization." 

THE DANIELL CELL 

The Daniell cell, Fig. 4, is composed of a glass or stone 
jar containing a cylindrical plate of sheet copper and an 
inner porous pot or jar of unglazed earthenware contain- 
ing a zinc rod. The porous pot is filled with dilute sulphuric 
acid, while in the outer part the copper plate is immersed 
in a saturated solution of copper sulphate. The electro- 
motive force of the Daniell cell is about 1 volt. The inter- 
nal resistance is about 3 ohms. 



18 THE ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT 

The Daniell cell is recharged thus: Thoroughly clean 
all the parts and re-amalgamate the zincs. Re-amalgama- 
tion is for the purpose of freeing the surface from impur- 
ities and is thus accomplished: Take a flat earthenware 
dish a little larger than the zinc plate, and put in just 
enough water to cover it. Then slowly add sulphuric acid, 
one part to the ten of water — that is, if you have 10 oz. of 
water, add i oz. of sulphuric acid. Immerse the zinc in 
the diluted acid and pour over it a small quantity of mer- 
cury which is to be painted onto the zinc with a little brush 
or mop made up of tow and a few brass wires. See that 
the zinc is well covered. The acid may be afterward used 
with the charging solution, and the mercury that is left 
may be poured back into the bottle. 

After the zincs are thus re-amalgamated, charge the 
porous pot with a solution of i part of sulphuric acid to 12 
of water, and the outer jar with a saturated solution of 
copper sulphate. On a sieve suspended in the liquid, place 
crystals of copper sulphate, to keep the solution saturated. 
Do not throw a handful of the sulphate into the jar to 
settle at the bottom. Care should be taken to keep the 
zinc and the zinc sediments from touching the porous pot, 
as this would attract particles of copper from the copper 
solution to form on the outer wall of the partition and 
cause a higher internal resistance and short circuit. 

If properly understood and kept in working order, the 
Daniell battery is very constant, and is well suited to 
silverplating. 

THE BUNSEN CELL 

The Bunsen cell, Fig. 5, has several forms, of which the 
English and the French are the best known. The English 
Bunsen is similar in appearance to the Daniell, with a 
cylinder of amalgamated zinc in place of copper, and a 
square of carbon in place of the zinc rod. The outer cell 
is charged with dilute sulphuric acid, 1 part of acid to 10 



THE ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT 



19 



1 



parts of water, and the inner cell with strong commercial 
nitric acid. Run the nitric acid into the porous cell until 
about three-quarters full, and fill the 
space between the porus cell and the 
outer jar with the dilute sulphuric acid. 
The French Bunsen has sulphuric acid 
in the porous cell with the carbon, pro- 
ducing a constant generator with a low 
voltage, or electromotive force. This 
cell gives 1.8 volts at starting, falling to 
1.5 volts when the circuit is closed. This 
form is less troublesome to keep in work- 
ing order than the English Bunsen and 
is free from noxious fumes. 

An English authority says : "The type 
of cell known as the Daniell is best for 
depositing copper from its sulphate solu- 
tion and silver from the usual plating 
solution, but the Bunsen may be used for 
this purpose if the exciting liquid is 
sufficiently weakened. One or two large cells in series 
will be enough for all ordinary purposes" (presumably, 
for small work, such as the country repair shop). 

The Bunsen cell is best for depositing copper and brass 
from their alkaline solutions, and also for the deposition 
of nickel, because its electromotive force is high, enabling 
it to pass through high resistances. It is not suitable for 
the work of silverplating, gilding, and electrotyping be- 
cause its e.m.f. (electromotive force) causes the metal to 
go on too fast, and in a granular condition. In all these 
operations the Daniell cell will be found to be the best, 
because its e.m.f. is lower than that of the Bunsen, and its 
current equally constant in volume. The Smee cell is emi- 
nently useful for gilding small pieces of jewelry. Batteries 
with a high e.m.f. cause gold to go on too fast, and to give 
the deposits a brown color. So much has been said, though 



Fig. 5. Bunsen Cell 



20 THE ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT 

very briefly, descriptive of the leading types of batteries in 
use. The beginner will find it to his advantage to study the 
battery which he has adopted, and to become thoroughly 
familiar with its operation. 

HOW A BATTERY WORKS 

The cells forming the battery are connected up in various 
ways to obtain different results. We will explain, as 
briefly and simply as possible, the working of the cells in the 
battery, and how the electric current is controlled, since it 
is important in plating operations to get the proper pres- 
sure and current, depending upon a known resistance. 
Scientific terms will be avoided, except when necessary to 
make the statement exact. 

In considering the flow of current in an electric circuit, 
we can compare it nicely with the flow of water in a water 
pipe. Suppose we had a pail of water with a pipe in the 
bottom. We know that the higher the water stands in the 
pail, the more rapidly the water will flow through the pipe, 
and that it makes no difference how big the pail, providing 
the water level is the same. Now we can think of a bat- 
tery cell as a pail of water and an electric current as the 
flow through a pipe leading from the pail. To correspond 
to the pressure of the water on the bottom of the pail, we 
have the electromotive force which, in fact, is usually 
called the "pressure" or "voltage," and which we will call 
hereafter the e.m.f. The rate of flow of the electric cur- 
rent corresponds to the rate of flow of water, and it 
depends upon the pressure (e.m.f.) of the battery, just as 
the rate of the water in the pipe depends upon the pressure 
of the water in the same way. No matter how big the 
battery, the current will be no greater in the circuit if the 
pressure remains the same. We also know that in a water 
pipe, other things being the same, the larger the pipe, the 
more rapidly will the water flow (in gal. per min.). In 
the electric circuit, the larger the wire, the greater the 



THE ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT 21 

current will be, for the larger wire offers less resistance to 
the flow of electricity. Some substances offer more resist- 
ance to the flow of electricity than do others ; that is why 
copper wire is used so much, as copper offers less resist- 
ance to the current than most other substances. Now if 
we put a valve in our water pipe, we can change the flow 
of the water (the current) by opening or closing the valve, 
that is, we put more resistance in the path of the water. 
In the same way, we can put a valve in the electric circuit, 
by which we can vary the current from the battery by in- 
troducing more or less resistance. Such a valve is called 
a "resistance box" or "rheostat." 

The pressure of water is measured in lb. per sq. in. ; 
electric pressure is measured in volts. The rate of flow 
of water is measured in gal. per min. ; the rate of flow of 
electric current is measured in amperes ; and the resistance 
offered to this flow is measured in ohms. There are two 
resistances to be considered, that of the cell or battery 
itself, called "internal resistance," and that of the circuit 
(the wires, solution, etc.) called "external resistance." 

There are many ways of grouping the cells in a battery, 
but they are comprehended in the systems known as 
"series" and "parallel" and combinations of the two, called 
"series-parallel." 

In series, the cells are connected with the positive ele- 
ment of one joined to the negative of the next and so on, 
and the free elements connected to the main circuit, as 
shown at A, Fig. 6. In this arrangement, the current gen- 
erated in the first cell has to flow through the second, and 
the e.m.f. of one is added to that of the other. This method 
corresponds to setting one pail of water on another, in 
which case we double the pressure. 

The parallel grouping of the cells has a different effect. 
In this, all the negative elements are joined together on 
one wire, and all the positive elements to the other wire, 
as shown at B. This is called "joining for quantity." The 



22 



THE ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT 



zincs are practically all one large zinc, and the coppers (or 
carbons) are one big positive element. The force is no 
greater, but the internal resistance is decreased in propor- 




B 







Fig. 6- Grouping of Cells— A f Series— B, Parallel— C, Series-Parallel 

tion to the number of cells, as there are more paths through 
which the current may flow. The current is therefore in- 
creased in proportion to the number of cells thus con- 
nected. The e.m.f. is no more altered than would be the 



THE ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT 23 

total water pressure, produced by placing two pails of 
water side by side on a level floor, in place of one ; for both 
cells are giving the same pressure, and coupling them in 
parallel is only equivalent to increasing the size of a single 
cell, which has no influence on the e.m.f. 

The series-parallel grouping, shown at C, unites two or 
more sets of cells which were joined in series in a parallel 
arrangement. 

The practical results of these combinations may be fig- 
ured out from a knowledge of the capacity of the cells and 
the resistance, by a formula known to electricians as Ohm's 
law, which declares that the current is equal to the e.m.f. 
divided by the resistance. This law can be expressed by a 

E 

formula, which for any cell is I = where I equals 

r + R 

the current in amperes, E = the e.m.f. in volts, R = the 
external resistances of the circuit in ohms, and r the in- 
ternal resistance of the cell in ohms. 

Suppose we have four cells of a voltage of 1.5, an ex- 
ternal resistance in tanks, wires, etc., of 2 ohms, an internal 
resistance of .05 ohm, and wish to know the current given 
by the three combinations. Here E = 1.5, r = .05, R = 2. 
The various methods of grouping are as follows : 

A. — SERIES GROUPING. 

Electromotive force of one cell = 1.5; e.m.f. of 4 cells 
in series = 4 X 1.5 = 6 volts. 

Internal resistance of one cell = 0.05 ohm ; internal re- 
sistance of 4 cells = 4 X 0.05 = 0.2 ohm. External re- 
sistance = 2 ohms. Total resistance = internal resistance 
of 4 cells -f- external resistance = 0.2 -f- 2 = 2.2 ohms. 

electromotive force 

Current (I) = 

total resistance 



24 THE ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT 



Current = = 2.73 amperes, nearly. 

2.2 

B. PARALLEL GROUPING. 

Electromotive force of cells in parallel is the same as 
that of a single cell, if the cells are identical. That is, the 
e.m.f. = 1.5 volts. 

The internal resistance of 4 cells in parallel is *4 °f that 
of one cell. That is, the internal resistance is 0.05 -f- 4 = 
0.0125 ohm. The external resistance is 2 ohms. There- 
fore, the total resistance = 0.0125 -f 2 = 2.0125 ohms. 

electromotive force 

Current (I) = • 

total resistance 

= = 0.74 ampere 



2.0125 

C. SERIES-PARALLEL GROUPING. 

Electromotive force is double that of one cell; that is, 
the e.m.f. = 1.5X2 = 3 volts. 

The internal resistance of each set of two cells in paral- 
lel is one-half that of each cell, = 0.05 -=- 2 = 0.025 ohm. 
The total internal resistance of the two groups in series is 
twice that of either group singly, that is, 0.025 X 2 = 0.05 
ohm. External resistance = 2 ohms. Therefore, total 
resistance = 0.05 + 2 = 2.05 ohms. 

electromotive force 

Current (I) = 

total resistance 

3 
= = 1.46 amperes 



2.05 

Suppose, however, that the external resistance is not so 
great as assumed in the above examples, in which it is pur- 
posely made rather high. On a "short circuit" (very little 








3o amperes. 


•05X4 


.2 




i-5 


i-5 


120 amperes. 




— 


•05^-4 


.OI25 




1-5X2 


3 


6o amperes. 



THE ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT ' 25 

external resistance), R = o and we find the current from 
these three combinations as follows: - 

1-5X4 6 

(A) I 



IB) 1 = 

(C) 1 = 

.05 .05 

So that, while with a heavy external resistance we get 
the greatest volume of current from the series coupling, 
with a low resistance we get the greatest volume of current 
from the parallel, which at the same time gives the weakest 
voltage. From the above it is evident that the voltmeters 
and rheostats which will be treated later, must be sharply 
watched if the plater would know what he is doing. 

THE DYNAMO 

After learning the rudiments of the trade with such 
small electric batteries as are found most practical, the 
electroplater may feel warranted in using a dynamo. If 
one has some electrical training and mechanical ability he 
may be able to build a very serviceable dynamo for him- 
self. This, however, is a separate trade, and the electro- 
plater is apt to have his hands full in his own particular 
line. As a rule, it will pay him better to buy a good dynamo 
and use all his time in his regular business. The advan- 
tages of a dynamo in a shop where a good custom trade is 
established are that it yields a current in every respect 
more suitable to the work. of depositing metals than from 
the best batteries, it is more cleanly in working, eliminates 
noxious gases, and is more easily managed. 

The best form of dynamo for the use of the electro- 



26 



THE ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT 



plater is some sort of shunt-wound or compound-wound 
machine, giving a large volume of current at low pressure, 
the current being delivered constantly and in one direction. 
In the shunt-wound dynamo, there is automatically a con- 
tinuous balancing of the current as the load varies in the 
external circuit. The compound-wound machine, however, 
can also be designed to give a constant current, and has, in 
addition, self -regulating features not possessed by the 
shunt-wound machine. It is the best type of machine to 
use for electroplating. Such a generator is shown in Fig. 
7. Machines for electric lighting work are designed to 
give a moderate volume of current at high pressure, and 
while a plating dynamo will generate current at, say, 10 
volts, the lighting current may have a pressure of no or 
220 volts, or higher. The unfitness of the lighting current 
for the purposes of the electroplater is therefore manifest. 




Fig. 7 8 Compound- Wound Dynamo 



THE ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT 



27 



In purchasing a dynamo, avoid all offers of second-hand 
machines, although warranted "as good as new." Get a 
small machine of a responsible dealer, at a cost of $50 or 
upwards, and then master its construction and working so 
as to get the best results. It may be set down as a law in 
electrical engineering, though probably never before 
printed, that a dynamo will deteriorate and go to scrap 
with a velocity equal to the square of the ignorance of the 
operator. 

REGULATING AND MEASURING INSTRUMENTS 

A rheostat, to enable the plater to control the current, 
is necessary where a dynamo or large battery is used. One 
style of rheostat is show T n in Fig. 8. Throwing aside tech- 
nical terms, the rheostat is similar to a tap or valve in a 




Fier- 8. Rheostat 



28 



THE ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT 



water pipe, each wire taken in by it acting like the plug 
of a tap narrowing the orifice through which the liquid 
flows. 

The ammeter, Fig. 9, measures the rate of flow of cur- 
rent, in amperes, and is sometimes made in connection 
with the voltmeter. As 1 ampere of current, under proper 
conditions, will deposit in 1 hour 62.1 gr. of silver, 18.3 gr. 
of copper (from cuprous solutions), or 36.6 gr. of gold 
(from aurous solutions), it is evident that the plater should 
regulate his current according to the work in hand. 

The voltmeter is similar to the ammeter, but measures 
the pressure of the current in volts. In Fig. 10 is shown 




Fig. 9. Ammeter 



THE ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT 



29 




Fig. 10. Voltmeter 



a voltmeter with a switch for connecting it to any given 
number of tanks. Experience shows that the silver in a 
plating solution may be separated from its salt and depos- 
ited in good condition with a current at as low a pressure 
as 2 volts, which may be increased, if required to work 
more rapidly, to even 3 and 4 volts. When the pressure 
exceeds the latter figure, however, there is a tendency to a 
loose and powdery deposit. So it becomes necessary to 
regulate the pressure, or voltage, as well as the current or 
number of amperes. It is not necessary to explain here the 
construction of these meters, or even their arrangement, 
the latter depending on the number and size of the tanks 
and batteries used, and full directions may be obtained of 
the supply house from which the equipment is purchased. 



CHAPTER III 

SHOP EQUIPMENT 

\TI7E WILL NOW consider the tanks, scrubbing trough, 

* * polishing lathes, brushes and other furniture. 

Trough and tanks may be made by the beginner himself, if 

he is a good mechanic. But if he is not handy with tools, or 




Homemade Electroplating Tank 

if his time can be profitably employed otherwise, he would 
better buy them ready made, or have a carpenter make 
them for him. 

To make a small tank (inside dimensions 6 by 18 in. 
with an inside depth of 12 in.) you will require — 

30 



SHOP EQUIPMENT 31 

2 pieces for sides 12 by 21 in. 
2 pieces for ends 8 by 12 in. 
1 piece for bottom 9 by 21 in. 

The wood should be 1^2 in. thick and of good soft wood 
without knots. The pieces must be cut true and square, 
or it will be impossible to make the tank water-tight. Rab- 
bet the ends of every* piece except the 9 by 21, which is the 
bottom. Fig. 11 shows the rabbeting of the boards and 
Fig. 12 shows how they^are put together. Use large wood 
screws, not nails, in joining the parts. Before joining, 
brush white lead thickly where the grooved ends come to- 
gether, and put in the screws while the white lead is still 
wet. Then take some cotton waste or like material and 
calk all the crevices. Calk from the outside of the tank. 

The next process is to line the tank with asphaltum. For 
a tank of this size, allowing 1 lb. for each gal. of capacity, 
6 lb. of asphaltum will be required, the capacity of this 
tank being just 5.6 gal. This will be a liberal allowance and 
make a good tank lining. The asphaltum should be secured 
from some good platers' supply house, because if mixed by 
an inexperienced person it is liable to get hard and crack. 
After lining the inside of the tank with asphaltum, the out- 
side may be painted, or it may be brushed over with ordi- 
nary asphaltum. 

Covers for tanks, which are necessary to keep out dust, 
etc., may be made of any ordinary wood, and should be the 
exact width and length of the tanks. It is well to brush 
the inside of the lid with the prepared asphaltum. Fig. 13 
shows the cover for the tank. 

To suit various sizes of work it may be necessary to 
make the tanks the width of two planks, in which case they 
should be matched tightly and drawn together with four 
rods, two at each end of the tank, with a screw and nut on 
the ends. 

Plating vats may be bought ready made, the 10-gal. size 



32 



SHOP EQUIPMENT 



costing about $10.00. A 15-gal. scrubbing tank costs $5.00 
or $6.00. 

For goldplating, or gilding, a crock or glazed dish may 
be used. One holding a pint of solution is usually large 
enough, as the filling of a large tank with gold solution 
would, of course, be out of the question. Another reason 
for using the crock is that the gold solution is used hot. 

The plating tank is made ready for work in the follow- 
ing manner: After testing the tank carefully for leaks, 
and calking and brushing in more asphaltum if necessary, 
place it on wooden horses in the place assigned to it, of 




Fig. 14. Top of Tank with Pipes in Place 

which more will be said when we come to the subject of 
shop arrangement. See that the tank is plumb and steady 
and not to be disturbed by jostling the supports. Get three 
pieces of brass pipe, )4 or Y% in. inside diameter, for each 
tank. They must be stiff enough to hold the anodes and 
the articles to be plated. Set these pipes in grooves in the 
ends of the tank, as shown in Fig. 14, and connect with 
copper wire, carefully soldered, or connected by brass or 
copper clamps. 

The practice of winding the wire about the ends of the 
rods without soldering is a bad one, as the wires are apt 
to get loose and the winding filled with dirt, making a bad 
connection. See that all joints are well made, and solders 



SHOP EQUIPMENT 



33 



and all parts connected by clamps and under screws are 
made clean, with broad surfaces of clean metal in contact 
at all points. Keep the metal clean by occasionally scour- 
ing it with emery paper. Perfect connections insure an 
uninterrupted circuit arid the highest economy in working. 
The arrangement of the connecting rods and the tanks 
is shown in Fig. 15. On the positive rods A A are hung 
the anodes, composed of the metal to be dissolved by the 
action of the electric current, and on the negative rod, B, 
are suspended, by hooks of No. 8 gauge copper wire, or by 
the regular slinging hooks that come for this purpose, the 
goods to be plated, which are the cathodes in the electric 



Carbon 




Carbon 



Gold Tank 



Fig. 15. Arrangement of Tanks and Battery 



circuit. This figure also shows how four tanks may be ar- 
ranged for different classes of work and connected with 
three or more cells as may be needed. When a single tank 
only is to be used, connect that tank only with the battery. 
It should be understood, of course, that a small job re- 
quires less current in amperes than a large one, and that 
all current used in excess of needs is not only a waste, but 
injurious to the job on hand. 

The tanks should never be left empty when not in use, 
nor should the solutions be allowed to get foul, for if the 
tanks get dry they are liable to warp and leak, and dust 
and impurities in the solution will interfere with the plating. 



34 



SHOP EQUIPMENT 




SHOP EQUIPMENT 35 

TANK REGULATION 

Tank regulation is an important matter in an up-to-date 
shop where several tanks are in constant use. There is a 
material difference in the density of different solutions, 
which varies also as they are used, and in manipulating 
tanks of various sizes where different solutions and differ- 
ent operations are employed it becomes necessary that 
proper regulations of the current be secured. This cannot 
be effected by the field rheostat on the dynamo, which con- 
trols the voltage at the terminals of the machine by in- 
creasing and decreasing the resistance provided by the cir- 
cuit, but does not affect the ampere capacity of the ma- 
chine. On the other hand a rheostat placed in series with 
the tank affects both amperes and volts, reducing the latter 
in the proportion in which the former is cut down. There- 
fore in selecting a tank rheostat it should be of a size suited 
to the ampere capacity of the tank. Fig. 16 shows the con- 
nection of two rheostats in the circuit for tank regulation. 
In this case a dynamo is used instead of a battery to supply 
the power. 

SCOURING TROUGHS 

The scrubbing or scouring trough may, of course, be 
made large or small, according to the size of the shop. 
For convenience this is made in shape like the ordinary 
stationary wash tub, and should be of heavy dressed plank, 
well matched and jointed. As strong potash solutions are 
used in scrubbing, the trough or tray is sometimes painted 
with prepared asphaltum, or lined with lead, the seams of 
which must be wiped and not soldered. 

Rabbet the bottom and sides, and bevel the front side 
to give the required angle. Set the bottom into the sides, 
not the sides on to the bottom. Fit the joints together 
tightly with white lead. Use large wood screws, not nails, 
in putting the parts together. Set a couple of horizontal 



SHOP EQUIPMENT 




SHOP EQUIPMENT 



37 



cleats 6 in. down in one end of the trough and make a 
light tray on which to rest goods in working. 

MISCELLANEOUS EQUIPMENT 

A treadle lathe, scratchbrush and a bench polishing ma- 




Fig. 18. Power Polishing: and Buffing: Lathe 



Fig. 19. 
Hydrometer 



chine are indispensable. In a large shop these machines 
are run by power, and the plater must be his own judge 
as to the economy of using electricity or steam in running 
his tools. For a small shop, it is taken for granted that 



38 



SHOP EQUIPMENT 




Fig. 20. Making a Respirator 



one or two simple foot lathes will suffice to begin with, 
and these may be bought second-hand or even built by the 
expert mechanic. A simple form of foot-power polishing 
machine is shown in Fig. 17, and a power polishing and 
buffing lathe is shown in Fig. 18. 

The cleaning, polishing and buffing wheels required are 
the following: Felt wheel; leather wheel; emery or car- 
borundum wheel ; cotton and flannel buffs ; cotton watch- 
case buff; long, thin felt buff for the inside of finger rings, 
and brass-wire scratchwheel. 

Among the miscellaneous equipment may be mentioned: 
Good scales, a clock, several galvanized iron pails, wooden 
buckets or tubs, -various wood-fiber brushes, a glass funnel 
and graduate glass, thermometer, hydrometer, Fig. 19, (for 
measuring the specific gravity of the solutions), glue pot, 
etc. ^ In the way of personal equipment, perhaps a suit of 
old clothes should not be omitted, including a stout pair of 
high shoes. Some platers use shoes with wooden soles, but 
the floor should never be so wet as to require such a pre- 



SHOP EQUIPMENT 



39 



caution. A good rubber apron, rubber gloves and finger 
tips (the tips should not take the place of the gloves en- 
tirely), a respirator and a pair of automobile goggles com- 
plete the outfit. Remember that what may seem a useless 
precaution may save a man from being laid up for a week, 
or from more serious harm. 

A serviceable respirator to guard the nose and throat 
from poisonous acids and dust, may be made as follows : 

Get a thin rubber ball 
about 6 in. in diameter, cut 
it in half, and then cut out 
a circle 2 in. in diameter in 
each half as in A, Fig. 20, 
and a semicircular notch 
in the edge 24 i n - deep, 





Pig. 21. Stoneware Dipping Basket 




Fig:. 22. Aluminum Dipping Baskets 



40 SHOP EQUIPMENT 

as shown at the top in Fig. B. Fasten onto one of 
the halves a rubber band to go snugly but not tightly over 
the head, as at C. Sew the other half of the ball at the 
sides, which allows a space to insert a close-grained sponge 
as shown at D. In use its appearance is shown at E. 
When the sponge is dampened one may breathe easily 
(through the nose always). The sponge may be easily re- 
moved and cleaned. See that it is always kept moistened. 

A number of stoneware crocks and kettles will be found 
necessary, and these are to be preferred to enameled ware, 
as the enamel wears off in a short time and the iron is then 
attacked by the acids. A stoneware pitcher or two will 
also be needed. 

Dipping baskets of glazed stoneware are used where a 
number of small articles have to be dipped in acid or 
cyanide solution. Aluminum wire baskets are now made, 
and are much lighter, but they cost four or five times as 
much as the earthenware, which run from 50c to $2.00. A 
stoneware dipping basket is illustrated in Fig. 21, and 
aluminum baskets in Fig. 22. 

THE PLATING SHOP 

We now come to the plating shop and its arrangement. 
Just as a kitchen may be comprehended in a chafing dish 
or a hotel outfit, so the plating shop may begin with a 
single-cell battery and a glass jar or stoneware kettle, and 
grow up to an establishment covering an acre of ground. 

We will suppose that the beginner starts with a small 
shop. This should be in the business part of the city, but 
not where there is much smoke. A good business street in 
a growing suburb is a good location, for, as an old silver- 
plater wisely says, "the trade should go to the people, and 
not expect the people to come to the trade." The shop 
should have two rooms — one for the plating room and one 
for the polishing room. If there is a small room for an 
office, so much the better. One large room might be used 
by dividing it with a partition. The solutions, tanks, etc., 



SHOP EQUIPMENT 41 

must be carefully protected from dust, and this cannot be 
done if the polishing and cleaning are done in the same 
room with the tanks. 

Light and ventilation are prime requisites. Artificial 
light will not supply the place of diffused sunlight. A 
northern exposure is to be preferred, and a good skylight 
is a great advantage. The examination of the goods and 
the solutions, while the various processes of the work are 
going on, and the care of the machines, to say nothing of 
the processes of polishing, etc., cannot well be undertaken 
without plenty of sunlight. At the same time care must 
be taken to protect the tanks from the direct sunlight, which 
decomposes all plating solutions. This is why a northern 
exposure is preferred. The vats and baths should be 
covered with canvass or wooden covers when not in use, to 
exclude both dust and light. 

The shop should be well ventilated, through an ample 
opening in a skylight or by a fan in the chimney or air 
shaft. The gases and fumes of some of the chemicals used 
are highly poisonous, and care should be taken that they 
are carried off rapidly. Have a closet for the stock of 
acids and chemicals and keep them there properly labeled, 
under lock and key. In another cupboard keep antidotes 
for poisons, as given in detail in Chapter X. Handy 
cabinets, in which tools may be kept, may be made from 
soap boxes or other boxes. 

The floor should be tight and smooth, and kept dry. 
There is no need of having a plating shop wet and sloppy, 
and if there should be tenants below, the drip might cause 
trouble. Use plenty of sawdust, and never let pools of 
water stand on the floor. When sweeping, be sure to cover 
all plating tanks, acid baths, etc., and use damp sawdust to 
gather the dust. Steam heat is almost a necessity on ac- 
count of its regularity and freedom from dust, gas and 
smoke. The temperature of the shop should be 60 ° to 
65 F. 



42 



SHOP EQUIPMENT 















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SHOP EQUIPMENT 



43 





Fig. 24. Circular Scratchbrushes 

In arranging the shop it is well to get the aid of an ex- 
perienced plater in whom confidence can be placed. No 
directions can be given in print that would cover all condi- 
tions of location of the various machines and apparatus, 
the arrangement of light, and the amount of equipment to 
be carried. A general plan of shop arrangement is shown 
in Fig. 23. 

POLISHING TOOLS AND POWDERS 

Scratchbrushes are made of both steel and brass wire 
and are used on a lathe for the first process of cleaning up. 
The stiff brushes may be used with emery, carborundum 
and other abrasives to grind off old silver and smooth the 





Fig. 25. Lathe Brush for Insides 
of Goblets 



Fig. 26. Cup-Shaped 
Brush for Watch Cases 



44 



SHOP EQUIPMENT 



Fig- 27- Brush for Inside Work 




Fig. 28. End Brush 




Fig. 29. Tampico-Fiber Brush 



SHOP EQUIPMENT 



45 




Fig. 30 Beveled 
Bristle Brush 



Fig. 31. Special Loose- Wire Brush 
for Satin Finishing, Etc. 




Fig. 32. Hand Brush 




Fig. 33. Hand Brush 




Fig. 34. Hand Brush 



46 



SHOP EQUIPMENT 




Fig:. 35. Hand Brush 




Fig. 36. Hand Brush 




Fi*. 37. Muslin and Cotton Wheel 



Fig. 38. Canvas Wheel 



SHOP EQUIPMENT 



47 




Fig. 39. "Bull-Neck" Leather Wheel 



Fig. 41. Walrus Wheel 





Fig. 40. Emery, Corundum or Carborundum Wheels 



48 



SHOP EQUIPMENT 



rough surfaces of castings, while the finer brushes of 
crimped wire may be used for gold work. 

Figure 24 shows two styles of platers' circular scratch- 
brushes for work on the lathe. A lathe brush for the in- 
side of goblets is shown in Fig. 25, while Fig. 26 shows a 
cup-shaped brush for watch cases. Another brush for in- 
side work is shown in Fig. 2.7, and an end brush in Fig. 28. 
A tampico-fiber brush for the lathe is shown in Fig. 29, and 
a beveled bristle brush in Fig. 30. 

In order to produce the satin finish or sand-blast effect 
on German silver, aluminum, brass, steel or other metal, 
special brushes are used. As will be seen in Fig. 31, the 
wires are loosely hung to the hub and are allowed to whip 
the work. The common types of hand brushes are illus- 
trated in Figs. 32, 33, 34, 35 and 36. 

Buffs or bobs may be used on the same lathe as the 
scratchbrush or emery wheel, on the right-hand end of the 
spindle. They are used both for polishing new work and 
for finishing plated goods. Buffs are in endless variety, of 
felt, leather, canvas and muslin. The usual style of stitched 
muslin and cotton wheel is shown in Fig. 37. When the 

term "calico" is used in 
English or German tech- 
nical books, unbleached 
muslin is referred to. 
Swansdown calico is a soft, 
unbleached muslin. Figure 
38 illustrates the canvas 
wheel. A "bull-neck" leath- 
er wheel is shown in Fig. 

39- 

Emery, corundum, or car- 
borundum wheels, illustrat- 
ed in Fig. 40, are used on 
the lathe for grinding down 
new goods, removing old 

Fi*. 42. Compressed-Leather Wheel plating, etc. The Use of the 




SHOP EQUIPMENT 



49 




Fig. 43. Correct Method of Holding: Article in Polishing: or Buffing: 



emery wheel is usually followed by the bull-neck leather 
wheel, walrus, and canvas. 

Walrus wheels are made of tanned walrus or seahorse 
hide, which from its extreme toughness is regarded as indis- 
pensable in certain classes of work. Such a wheel is shown 
in Fig. 41, and the compressed-leather wheel in Fig. 42. 
The right method of holding the article when polishing or 
buffing is illustrated in Fig. 43. Let the wheel run so that 
the bottom of the wheel goes from you. 

Pumice, powdered, is used with a scrub brush and lye 
solution to clean iron and steel goods and to remove dirt 
and grease. The best pumice comes from Italy. 

Emery or carborundum is used in polishing old table- 
ware. It is glued on leather or felt wheels to grind out 



50 SHOP EQUIPMENT 

rough places in all kinds of work. Turkish emery is gen- 
erally used by electroplaters, and an emery glue may be 
bought already prepared. 

Silver sand is used to remove the scum in silverplating 
in the same way that the wire scratchbrush is used. Places 
that cannot be reached with the scratchbrush, as the inside 
of rings, cups and hollow-ware, are treated with wet sand 
on a brush or bob. 

Tripoli is a fine siliceous earth which is made into a 
grease composition. It is used on all kinds of wheels except 
cotton flannel, bristle and wire brushes, and is good for 
cutting down and smoothing all kinds of metalwork. To 
apply tripoli, hold it against the wheel while the latter is 
running. 

Rouge is a red powder and is practically the same as 
iron rust which has been heated to drive off the water 
that is combined with it. It is applied to wheels to brighten 
and color up all kinds of work, both before and after plat- 
ing. It is used in the same way as tripoli. French rouge 
is the best. 

Crocus is a deep yellow or a red powder, the oxide of 
some metal (usually iron) which has been calcined at a 
great heat. It is a little coarser than rouge, and is used in 
the same way. 

A pure, soft lime, free from grit, is used as a polisher. 
Vienna lime is used in this country and Sheffield lime in 
England. It comes in 15-lb. cans. 

Litmus paper should always be kept on hand for test- 
ing solutions. Blue litmus turns red if the solution contains 
free acid, and red litmus will turn blue if free alkali is 
present. Keep it in a tight tin box. 

Whiting is chalk, ground to a fine powder. It is an 
excellent polisher, used after pumice. 

Rotten stone is a decomposed silica derived from certain 



SHOP EQUIPMENT 



51 



limestones, and is used as a polisher. The best comes from 
England and is as fine as flour. 

MECHANICAL PLATING 

Where a large number of small articles are to be electro- 
plated, the time required in stringing them on wires for 
hanging in the tank becomes a considerable item. To do 
away with this expense, a special tank has been brought 
out. This tank has a perforated cylinder in which a large 
number of small articles may be placed and which is kept 
in constant rotation by a belt. 




Fig. 44. Mechanical Plating Tank 

The construction of this mechanical plating tank is shown 
in Fig. 44. The articles to be plated are poured into the 
cylinder as shown in Fig. 45, and the anodes of copper, 
nickel, or whatever the coating is to be, are hung in parallel 
rows on each side of the cylinder. Special curved anodes 
are used, making the operation quick and effective. The 



52 



SHOP EQUIPMENT 



cylinder should be rotated at from 10 to 20 revolutions per 
minute, two speeds usually being provided for by a stepped 
pulley outside the tank. 

Several advantages are claimed for these "plating bar- 
rels/' and the results seem to bear out the claims made for 
them. The principal feature is, of course, the labor saved 
in preparing the articles. This is strikingly shown by a 
comparison of Fig. 45 with Fig. 46. In plating bronze or 




Fig\ 45. Filling: the Plating: Barrel— 
The New Way 



Fig:. 46. Preparing: Small Articles for 
Plating:— The Old Way 



brass on steel in stationary tanks, there is a tendency to a 
deficiency or an excess of the copper, but this seems to be 
overcome with the mechanical platers. Further, the deposit 
of metal seems to give a more even and more protective 
coating with a somewhat smoother finish. 

Any small work, such as small automobile and bicycle 
parts, bolts, nuts, screws, sewing-machine and typewriter 
parts, and the like, are particularly adapted for mechanical 
plating. 



CHAPER IV 

CLEANING GOODS BEFORE PLATING 

\X^HEN GOODS are received, make a careful tally, 
* * giving kind, number, marks, etc., with directions as 
to plating. The first operation is the cleaning of the goods. 
In plating, it should be carefully understood that "cleaning" 
means making the goods chemically clean, not ordinarily 
clean, as an entirely unobstructed surface of metal must be 
exposed to the solution to insure the thorough adhesion of 
the particles of metal to the cathodes (or goods to be 
plated in the tank). It is necessary, therefore, to free the 
surface of the goods, including every line and indentation, 
from every trace of foreign matter of any kind, whether in 
the form of rust, verdigris, tarnish, or any other kind of 
corrosion, or in the form of oil, grease, lacquer, sweat, 
etc. The touch of a finger on the prepared surface is suffi- 
cient, for instance, in silverplating, to cause the silver to 
strip off frcm the spot when the scratchbrush or the bur- 
nisher is applied. 

The workman must also see that all deep scratches, dents 
and cracks are removed before the goods are put in the 
tanks, and that all necessary repairs are made, avoiding an 
excess of solder, and that all previous coats of silver or 
nickel are removed and the surface polished. 

CLEANSING SOLUTIONS 

To remove grease, etc., first plunge the goods in hot lye, 
using ]/ 2 lb. of caustic potash or soda to 2 gal. of water ; 
then plunge them in hot water and give a final rinsing in 
cold water, when they are ready to be treated for rust and 
corrosions. If there is no steam coil, the lye and water 
kettles may be firmly set over a gas furnace. 

Rust, verdigris and other metal oxides are removed by a 

53 



54 CLEANING GOODS BEFORE PLATING 

pickle of a dilute mineral acid. A mixture of equal parts 
of sulphuric acid and water makes a good cleaning bath 
for these oxides. String the articles on a wire and plunge 
them in the mixture for a few minutes. Use the scratch- 
brush and wash, and if the stain is not removed, repeat 
the process. 

A light tarnish may be removed by dipping in a strong 
solution of cyanide of potassium, say, 10 oz. of cyanide to 
I gal. of water, with the addition of a few drops of liquid 
ammonia. For the oxides of copper and zinc, use a mix- 
ture of i part of sulphuric acid in 20 parts of water, and 
if the stains are deep and fail to come off, strengthen the 
pickle. 

For rust on iron or steel, use a pickle of 6 parts sul- 
phuric acid, 1 part muriatic acid, and 160 parts of water. 
The goods are dipped in this solution from 15 to 30 sec- 
onds. For oxides of lead and tin, including britannia 
ware, pewter, etc., use a hot lye solution. 

Lacquered goods should be steeped for an hour or so in 
warm methylated spirits and then immersed in a strong 
solution of ammonia. They should then be well brushed 
with an old scratchbrush and rinsed in hot water. 

When these cleaning baths are not in use, they should 
be put up in jugs of vitrified stoneware, carefully marked, 
and put away in the chemical closet. The mixed acids will 
eat the glaze of ordinary earthenware as well as the enamel 
from iron. 

The next process after cleaning, if the job is one of re- 
plating silver, is to remove all the old silver plate. For 
this purpose a stripping solution is used. 

STRIPPING SOLUTION 

To one gallon of commercial sulphuric acid, add 12 oz. 
of potassium nitrate (saltpeter) and -y 2 teaspoonful of 
French rouge. Do not put soft metal, such as britannia, 
lead, pewter, tin, zinc, etc., in this solution, or any wet arti- 



CLEANING GOODS BEFORE PLATING 55 

cles, as they would be eaten by the acid. Fifteen minutes 
is usually long enough to leave goods in this pickle. After 
the old plating is removed, the surfaces of the articles to be 
plated should be well brushed in water with a stiff brush to 
remove loosened dirt from crevices. This process may re- 
veal several imperfections in the way of dents and scratches 
which should be taken out on the polishing lathe or by the 
careful use of the hammer. After polishing, the goods 
should be again plunged into the alkali pickle to remove the 
film of grease which was put on in handling. The dipping, 
however, adds a thin coat of black oxide, which must be 
removed by scouring. For this purpose the article is held 
on the dipping tray with the left hand, while the article is 
brushed with a wet brush dipped in pumice powder until 
every trace of oxide is removed. Then rinse in water, and 
it will be quite clean and ready for the plating tank. 

The article should not be touched again with the hand, 
but should be picked up with a wire hook, and, if to be 
silverplated, dipped into the necessary bath, again rinsed 
in clear water, and put into the plating tank. 

If the goods are of iron, steel or zinc, they should be 
copperplated before the silver is put on. Many platers do 
this with soft-metal goods also, getting a better job by 
this process. 



CHAPTER V 

COPPERPLATING 

THE PROCESS of copperplating will be treated first, 
as it is a preliminary to much of the nickel, silver and 
gold plating, for the reason that these metals, especially 
silver, deposit more easily and firmly on copper than on 
iron, steel or soft metals, which take copper easily and then 
present a good surface for the finishing metal. Again, the 
preliminary coppering enables one to see whether the goods 
are properly cleaned, as the copper will strip off from 
greasy and corroded spots under the scratchbrush, while 
scratches and pinholes will be well filled. When rough 
goods are well polished and coppered, they will turn out a 
good job in the nickel or silverplating tank. If repairs are 
necessary, they should be smoothly made with a chloride- 
of-zinc flux applied with a copper wire, giving a chloride-of- 
copper amalgam which takes the copper readily. 

When the goods have been thoroughly cleaned and pol- 
ished, as previously described, they are hung on the sus- 
pending wires, plunged in the potash pickle and transferred 
to the plating vat without rinsing. The copper solution for 
the plating tank is prepared as follows : 

COPPERING SOLUTION 

Dissolve in an iron vessel 2 lb. of copper sulphate to 1 
gal. of hot distilled water. Let it cool, and add liquid 
ammonia slowly to precipitate the copper, which takes the 
form of a green mud. Then add more ammonia, stirring 
with a stick until the mud is dissolved and the liquid takes 
a bright blue tinge. Use about 4 oz. of liquid ammonia. 
Now add gradually 12 oz. of potassium-cyanide solution, 
which will turn the solution to a dull amber tint. Leave 
exposed to the air for 12 hours, filter through tw r o thick- 

56 



COPPERPLATING 57 

nesses of muslin, and dilute with 3 gal. of distilled water. 
The solution, after standing a day, may be worked cold, 
but it is better to raise it to 150 F. The solution is 
strengthened from time to time by adding ]/ 2 oz. or so of 
cyanide of potassium, carefully stirred in, and the same 
amount of ammonia. 

For the anode plates, pure copper is employed, with a 
surface somewhat in excess of the surface of the goods to 
be plated. Too much anode surface is likely to give a 
hard, dark deposit, especially if the current is high, while 
too little anode surface is apt to give a loose deposit, which 
will peel off under the scratchbrush. Too rapid a deposit 
is to be avoided. 

In placing the articles in the vat, or rather when rinsing 
them in the potash pickle, they are hung on a copper-wire 
"S." See that all bubbles are washed off when hanging the 
goods in the vat. If the goods are gently moved during 
the plating, the deposit is made brighter. 

Ten or fifteen minutes is usually long enough to secure a 
good plating. Take out the goods, rinse in hot water, and 
dry in hot sawdust. They are then ready for polishing. 



CHAPTER VI 

NICKELPLATING 

FOR NICKELPLATING, the goods are prepared as for 
any other work, and if treated with a thin coat of cop- 
per, as described in the last chapter, the nickelplating will 
be brighter and more durable. 

Be very particular about having the goods properly 
dipped before putting them through the plating bath. As 
they come from the polishing lathe, although apparently 
bright, they are covered with a thin film of grease, invisible 
to the eye, but sufficient to prevent the nickel in the solu- 
tion making contact with the metal surface of the goods. 
This would cause blister, which would show in the scratch- 
brushing. To avoid this, rinse the goods well in the lye and 
scour with powdered pumice stone or whiting, for fine 
work, holding them with a dry linen towel well powdered. 
When well scoured, rinse off the powder or whiting in 
clear water, plunge the articles in the muriatic-acid dip 
described elsewhere, rinse and hang in the copperplating 
vat for the preliminary coating of copper, or place directly 
in the nickel vat if the coppering is to be dispensed with. 
If the goods have been coppered, examine the work under 
a good light, rinse and place in the nickel vat. 

It is of no advantage whatever, but rather a disadvantage, 
if the goods have been previously nickelplated, for all the 
old nickel must be stripped before plating with a new coat. 
This is due to the peculiar action of nickel in the plating 
solution, as it refuses to make a permanent union with a 
nickel surface, even one newly plated and polished. If the 
goods are in the form of tubes or plain flat surfaces, the 
nickel may be taken off with an emery wheel ; otherwise it 
must be put into the acid stripping bath. 

58 



NICKELPLATING 



59 



NICKEL-STRIPPING BATH 



In an iron pot or lead-lined tank holding 4 gal., put y 2 
gal. of water, and add slowly and carefully 2 gal. of strong 
sulphuric acid, stirring with a smooth hardwood stick. Be 
careful not to let it spatter out on the hands or face, as the 




Fig. 47. Nickel Anode 



Fig. 48. Nickel Anode 



60 



NICKELPLATING 



acid is very corrosive, and on contact with the water is 
raised to a scalding temperature. It is best to wear a mask 
and rubber gloves when handling this or other acids. When 
the sulphuric acid is mixed with the water, add y 2 gal. of 
commercial nitric acid, and stir as before. When the mix- 
ture is cool, pour it into a 
stoneware jar, which should be 
protected by a good cover. 

To strip nickel goods, clean 
them properly as before direct- 
ed, plunge them in the alkali 
solution and then in the hot- 
water tank, and, by means of a 
copper wire, drop them in the 
stripping bath. The process 
will require five minutes to half 
an hour, according to the 
amount of nickel to be re- 
moved. The goods can be 
drawn up and inspected as 
often as necessary to see how 
the operation is proceeding. As 
soon as the nickel is entirely 
stripped, take out the goods 
and rinse in clear cold water, 
again in hot water, and dry in 
hot sawdust. 

NICKEL SOLUTION 

Dissolve double sulphate of 
nickel and ammonia in the pro- 
portion of 24 lb. to the gallon 
of distilled water. Use an iron 
kettle and have the water boil- 
ing. When cool, filter through 
muslin and pour into the vat. 
Fig. 49. Nickel Anode Be particular to use only the 




NICKELPLATING 



61 



best quality of nickel salts, which give a brilliant, silver- 
like effect. Care should be taken to use only pure nickel 
for the anodes. Several special shapes of nickel anodes 
are shown in Figs. 47, 48, 49, 50 and 51. In placing 
the work in the vat, put in the larger articles first, if 
there are several sizes, and do not attempt to plate dif- 
ferent metals, as steel and britannia, in the same tank, 





Fig. 50. Nickel Anode 



Fig. 51. Nickel Anode 



62 NICKELPLATING 

as these attract the nickel in varying degrees. See that suffi- 
cient anode surface is used, else the solution becomes too 
acid. For ironwork, a slight acidity does no harm, and is 
rather a benefit. The degree of acidity may be tested by 
litmus paper, an acid solution turning blue litmus paper to 
red and an alkaline solution turning red litmus paper to 
blue. A special hydrometer, called a "nickelometer" is 
used by nickelplaters to test the solution. This solution 
should not register less than 7 on the nickelometer. 

To correct the excess acidity, add liquid ammonia in 
small quantities until the solution ceases to redden blue 
litmus paper. Excess of alkali is shown by a yellow de- 
posit and by turning red litmus paper to blue. In this case, 
use sulphuric acid until a slight acid reaction is shown. 
If the solution becomes weak and fails to deposit white 
nickel, add common salt at the rate of 50 to 70 gr. to the 
gal. and increase the anode surface. 

The length of time in which the goods are to remain in 
the vat depends upon conditions. If previously coppered, 
not so long a time is required, and, similarly, if the solu- 
tion is strong and there is a good current and sufficient 
anode surface, less time is required. Nickel is deposited at 
the rate of 16.89 grains per ampere-hour. For a single 
tank, a current supplied by a battery of 3 or 4 cells in series 
would be required. Watch the current, and after a thin 
coating of metal has been deposited, reduce the voltage by 
one-half or more. Leave the goods in the bath 2 or 3 
hours, according to the class of work to be done. 

When the goods have taken on the desired thickness of 
metal, lift them out of the solution by the slinging wires, 
rinse in the hot-water tank and dry off quickly in hot saw- 
dust. Work quickly and be sure the rinsing and drying are 
thoroughly done, as exposure to the air with the plating 
solution causes oxidation in the form of blotches which 
polishing cannot remove. The goods, as taken from the 
vat, have a dull gray appearance, and may range from a 



NICKELPLATING 63 

creamy white to a dull yellowish hue. A dirty gray indi- 
cates an inferior solution, or perhaps a too rapid deposit in 
the bath. 

After thorough drying in sawdust, the goods are well 
brushed with soft, clean rags dusted with Vienna white 
(purified chalk), tripoli and rouge. This may be done either 
by hand or on the polishing lathe, using soft muslin rags, 
and a small brush to reach the crevices. Do not use the 
brass scratchbrush, as the brass will make a deposit on the 
nickel which is difficult to remove. 

Imperfections in the plating, such as an occasional blister, 
may be removed by sponging the spot with the alkali dip, to 
cleanse it, and applying a sponge wet with the nickel solu- 
tion and containing a piece of nickel anode connected with 
the battery. Connect the goods with the negative pole of 
the battery as if it were in the plating tank, and let the 
current pass through for as long a time as if the goods were 
in the tank. This process can only be resorted to for an 
occasional patch. If the whole work *is imperfect, it will 
have to be stripped and replated. 

The plater cannot be too particular in finishing the goods 
and securing a high polish, as this is what chiefly gives 
satisfaction to the customer, who can only judge of the 
wearing quality of the work by experience. A variety of 
polishing brushes and mops should be used, and all rough- 
ness and clouds removed. A basil-leather mop (bark-tan- 
ned sheepskin) with fine tripoli imparts a fine polish, if 
finished with swansdown muslin and a little rouge. Much 
rouge is objectionable on account of the dust. Go over all 
the surface thoroughly, reaching all the holes and angles, 
and secure a bright, uniform polish. Beware of abrasives 
and too much "elbow grease" as such treatment is apt to 
cut through the nickel skin and ruin the job. The process 
of polishing emphasizes the importance of a good thick coat 
of nickel in the plating bath (and the same is true of all 
plating processes), as it allows for more effective finishing 



64 NICKELPLATING 

without spoiling the job and necessitating stripping and re- 
plating, with consequent expense and loss of time. 

TO PREVENT NICKEL FROM TARNISHING 

Nickelplated work after exposure to the air for a few 
months, especially in a damp climate, is apt to tarnish, caus- 
ing dissatisfaction to the customer. The tarnish is caused 
by the oxidation of the minute particles of iron contained 
in the nickel, the iron being added to the metal in the anode 
for the purpose of "softening" it or making it more soluble. 
Good nickel contains from J4 P er cent to 2 per cent of iron, 
and the deposit is all the whiter on this account. 

To prevent the discoloration in fine goods they may be 
run through an acid pickle to remove the iron on the sur- 
face. The pickle is made by adding 1 gal. of muriatic acid 
to 4 gal. of water. Sulphuric acid may be used, but it is 
not a good solvent. After the articles are plated, rinse in 
cold water and plunge them a moment in the pickle, which 
is warmed to 8o° to ioo° F. Let them remain a few sec- 
onds, rinse in cold water, then in hot water, and finally 
soak in a hot whale-oil soap solution for 15 or 20 minutes. 



CHAPTER VII 



SILVERPLATING 



SILVERPLATING is the rock on which many an ama- 
teur has been shipwrecked. Misled by the fetching ad- 
vertisements of "silverplating outfits," with pretty much 
everything, including a princely revenue, "free," he invests 
all his spare dollars and runs in debt, without even posting 
himself on the A B C of the business, and finally throws it 
over, sells the outfit for junk, turns his tanks into chicken 
coops and retires from business, a sadder and wiser man. 
The fact is, silverplating, and all electroplating, is like fish- 
ing as described by Isaac Walton ; "an art to be learned by 
practice or long observation, or both." The silverplater 
should begin in a very small way and advance by degrees, 
studying every step carefully as he goes, and mastering 
the plater's "art and mystery" with as little loss by error 
and bad work as possible. 

We will suppose that the goods have been cleansed and 
polished and made ready for the plating tank, as previously 
described, including the preliminary copper coating, and 
are now ready for the silvering process. Careful platers, 
before putting the goods into the silvering tank, transfer 
them from the coppering solution to an alkaline mercury 
solution for a few minutes, to give them a film of mercury, 
which greatly increases the attraction of the goods to the 
metal in the silver solution and secures a good wearing 
coat. This is called "quickening." 

ALKALINE QUICKENING SOLUTION 

In a stoneware vessel, slowly dissolve mercury in dilute 
nitric acid, add enough strong solution of potassium cyan- 
ide to precipitate the mercury in the form of a black mud, 
and then add cyanide slowly, stirring with a stick, to dis- 

65 



66 SILVERPLATING 

solve the precipitate. When the liquid is clear, dilute with 
distilled water to make i gal. Keep in a stoneware jar, 
securely covered. Be sure to remember that cyanide is a 
deadly poison and cannot be too carefully used. It should 
not be touched with the hand or the fumes inhaled. 

Accurately weigh the goods in the platers' scales, taking 
care not to touch the former with the hands, and place them 
immediately in the silverplating tank, using hooks of silver 
wire. The tank has been made ready with the proper 
amount of solution, and the anodes adjusted with due re- 
gard to the proper amount of surface to be treated, remem- 
bering that the anode surface should be slightly in excess 
of the surface of the cathodes. The anodes should be of 
pure annealed silver, not standard or coin silver. 

English and German platers prefer to make their own 
solutions from the metal, but it is better, especially for the 
beginner, to take as few chances with the manipulating of 
chemicals as possible, and to buy the prepared salts (that is 
to say, combinations of acids and metals, as nitrate of cop- 
per, cyanide of silver, etc.) and make the solutions there- 
from. The surest way for the beginner is to obtain his 
solutions from the manufacturer. It may cost a little more, 
but it saves time, work and money in the end to put as 
much of the burden as possible on the big factories. 

SILVER SOLUTION 

Dissolve i oz. of chloride of silver (always use the high- 
est grade of chemicals) in i pt. of distilled water, or larger 
amounts in the same proportion. In a separte vessel, dis- 
solve i oz. of potassium cyanide, 99 per cent pure, in y 2 pt. 
of distilled water. Add the cyanide gradually and slowly 
to the chloride, stirring carefully with a hardwood stick or 
a glass rod. Adding the cyanide too rapidly prevents a 
complete union with the silver, some of which is lost. It is 
better to pour in a spoonful or two of the cyanide at a time 
and stir as long as a precipitate is formed, then add more 



SILVERPLATING 67 

cyanide and stir, and so on. If the precipitate has settled 
down in a mass, or curd, leaving the liquid clear, the chem- 
ical action has been complete and the precipitate, cyanide of 
silver, contains all the silver that was contained in the 
chloride. If the liquid, however, is cloudy, add a little more 
cyanide solution drop by drop until the cloudiness disap- 
pears. If the liquid has a brown tint it shows an excess of 
cyanide, which is corrected by adding a few drops of silver 
chloride until the liquid clears. When the cyanide curd has 
settled, pour off the liquid, which, if at all cloudy, may be 
saved in a crock for the recovery of the silver. Wash the 
curd with clean water several times and dissolve it in a so- 
lution of potassium cyanide, using about one-fifth more 
than actually required to take up the precipitate. Add dis- 
tilled water in the proportion of i gal. to from I to 5 oz. of 
silver, as required. Filter through muslin. This is the 
cyanide solution of silver used in the plating bath. Work 
at a temperature of about 60 ° F. Do not expose the solu- 
tion to strong sunlight. 

STRENGTH OF SOLUTION 

An ounce of silver chloride contains about 0.753 °f an 
ounce of pure silver, and 132.8 oz. of chloride contain ap- 
proximately 100 oz. of silver. Knowing the quantity of 
chloride used, and the number of gallons of solution, the 
strength of the latter is easily calculated. The solution 
may vary from 2 to 6 oz. of silver to the gallon, but should 
not fall below the former figure. A weak solution will 
work slower than a strong solution and will require a 
higher voltage. The amount above provided for is merely 
experimental and may be used for small articles, like a 
watch case, in a stoneware vessel, using a single Smee or 
Daniell cell. 

A battery of 4 or 6 cells, gallon size, would make 
a good practical working outfit for silverplating, and could 
be so connected as to give an e. m. f . of 4 to 6 volts, 



68 SILVERPLATING 

which would be sufficiently strong for a solution such as 
above described, with sufficient anode surface. It should 
be remembered that the stronger the solution and the 
larger the anode surface, the less resistance is offered and 
the less voltage is required. The current density should 
be about I ampere to 60 sq. in. of surface to be coated. 

The anodes should throw off silver at a rate proportion- 
ate to the silver deposited. In other words they should 
feed the solution and prevent it from becoming impover- 
ished. This they are only able to do while there is free 
cyanide in the solution. Exposure to sunlight and air 
causes the cyanide to form a union with the carbon dioxide 
in the air, with a resultant loss of free cyanide in the solu- 
tion. This is occasionally supplied by adding a few drops 
of cyanide solution and stirring the solution in the tank. 
No other chemicals whatever should be added to the 
solution. 

The anode rod should be moved about in the solution 
occasionally, to aid the process of electrolysis. In large 
shops, the anode rods are attached to a jig frame which is 
kept in motion. In the same manner the cathode rods 
should be occasionally jarred to prevent the formation of 
bubbles or scum. 

A lack of sufficient free cyanide is indicated by a coating 
of black slime on the anodes, though this may be caused also 
by dust and dirt in the solution if it is allowed to stand 
many days before being used up. The cause may be de- 
tected by a careful examination of the anodes. An excess 
of cyanide causes the silver to be deposited too rapidly, as 
shown by the rough surface and the ragged edges of the 
anodes. 

The plating tanks should be covered when not in use, 
and never exposed to strong sunlight. If the shop is 
located in the neighborhood of factories, coal yards or rail- 
roads (a location which should be avoided if possible), 
there will be more or less dust and soot, and the tanks will 



SILVERPLATING 69 

get foul if the solution is not frequently renewed and the 
tanks cleaned. 

The time to be allowed goods in the plating tank depends 
upon the strength of the solution, the current and the thick- 
ness of the coat desired. If the external resistance (of the 
wires, anodes and solutions) is high, or if the anodes are in 
bad condition, the wires small and the solution weak, the 
amount of silver deposited will be lessened by these causes. 

The anodes, it should be remembered, feed the solution 
in proportion as the metal it contains is deposited on the 
cathodes. If the anodes, therefore, are of sufficient sur- 
face, and in good condition, that is, kept from accumulating 
a slime which prevents them from throwing off their metal, 
the solution should last indefinitely. It should, however, 
be occasionally taken out and filtered. 

An old rule in silverplating is to allow a current of 2 
amperes to each ioo sq. in. of surface to be plated, and 
then remove the goods and weigh to ascertain the quantity 
of silver deposited in an hour. By watching the deposit 
carefully the plater will soon become familiar with the 
changes that occur under varying conditions. In two or 
three minutes after placing them in the bath the goods 
should take on the whiteness of the anode plates and become 
beautifully frosted with grains of silver. If the deposit 
turns to gray and bubbles of gas arise from the slinging 
wire, it is an indication that the deposit is going on too 
fast, which may be corrected by increasing the resistance 
or reducing the current. If the deposit assumes a bluish 
tinge, it is an indication of weakness of current or of solu- 
tion, in which case the anodes may be moved up closer to 
the goods, or, if necessary, a higher voltage may be used. 

Beware of doctoring the solutions with brightening com- 
pound or any other chemical than those named in the direc- 
tions given on another page for preparing the solutions. 
An occasional visit to other plating shops would be likely 



70 SILVERPLATING 

to greatly increase the beginner's stock of knowledge, and 
perhaps save him some costly experience. 

When the goods have remained a sufficient length of time 
in the plating tank and the examination shows a frosty 
coating of dead white silver they should be taken out, rinsed, 
dried in hot boxwood sawdust and polished. Great care 
should be used in every stage of the work. The rinsing 
should be done in clear soft water, used hot, and the drying 
in clean boxwood sawdust, as this is free from injurious 
acids or resins, which, if present, would stain the silver. 
See, too, that the sawdust is dry but not charred. The 
article to be polished is then washed in warm mild soap- 
suds, rinsed |in running water and dried in hot air. The 
article must be handled carefully, as the matt or frosted 
surface is easily tarnished. 

The appearance of the newly plated goods before polish- 
ing is that of a frosted or cream-white surface. Should 
they have a yellowish tinge when taken from the vat, 
plunge them immediately in a warm dilute solution of potas- 
sium cyanide, rinse and dry as above directed. Silver 
goods should not be put on the brass wire scratchbrush, as 
it makes them brassy. Use a wood-fiber brush and then a 
soft muslin rag with rouge composition. Give the goods 
an even, equal pressure on all parts, without scrubbing hard 
on one spot. Move the article about from side to side on 
the rag and do not let it get heated. When a good bright 
polish has been put on, wash out the rouge, using hot, 
soapy water and a soft wool rag. Rinse in hot, clear water 
and dry, and then mop again with a soft swansdown mus- 
lin rag. Never put rags or mops down on a bench where 
they will gather dust or grit, but keep them in tightly 
covered boxes. 

If the silver coating blisters under the polishing, there is 
nothing to do but strip it as directed elsewhere; and replate. 

A number of small articles, such as buttons, buckles and 
the like, may be plated without being separately slung on 



SILVERPLATING 71 

wires, by placing them in an aluminum basket and shaking 
them about during the process. They may be dipped in 
the stripping acid, rinsed and dried in the same manner. 
It is a difficult process to connect the basket with the 
cathode rod and to keep the contents shaken up in an ordi- 
nary plating tank, but it may be done by an expert. A spe- 
cial plating machine, something like a barrel churn, is made 
for this sort of work and has been described before. 

REPLATING STEEL TABLE KNIVES 

The following simple and practical method of replating 
old steel table knives is given by an expert : 

The knives are first examined as to condition and badly 
worn or pitted ones are thrown out. The rest are cleaned 
in a hot solution of soda or potash. The silver is then 
stripped in a solution of i lb. of potassium cyanide and i lb. 
of caustic soda in i gal. of water, in a plating tank. The 
knives are hung in a bunch as an anode by an iron wire, 
and a piece of cleaned sheet steel is used for the cathode, 
this operation being the exact reverse of plating. A strong 
current up to 6 volts may be used, as the cyanide does not 
attack the steel surface. The silver is deposited on the 
sheet steel in the form of a spongy coating, some of which 
falls to the bottom of the tank. The steel may be taken out 
occasionally and brushed, and so get a better deposit, the 
silver failing to adhere when the coating is heavy. Shake 
the knives occasionally to facilitate throwing off the silver. 
By filtering the solution, all the silver may be recovered, 
which is then melted in a crucible. If it is found that there 
is a nickel plate under the silver, which will resist the strip- 
ping process, the grinding wheel must be resorted to for its 
removal. 

If on examination the goods appear to be pitted, which 
might not show before stripping, they are "cut down" on a 
wood wheel coated with glue and carborundum or No. ioo 
emery, followed by a leather-covered wheel and No. 150 



72 SILVERPLATING 

emery or finer carborundum, and finished with felt and flour 
emery. The use of emery paste is discouraged, as it gets a 
film of mineral grease on or into the goods that is very 
hard to remove. 

The knives are now dropped in a solution of 8 oz. of sal- 
soda in i gal. of water, to prevent them from rusting. After 
dipping for a few minutes in the hot lye (if scoured with 
paste, gasoline is necessary) the articles are dipped in cold 
water and scoured with pumice and a stiff bristle brush. 
Use dilute sal-soda with the pumice to keep the steel from 
rusting. This is much better and safer than the poisonous 
cyanide. All stains and rust spots must be carefully scoured 
out, emery flour being used if necessary. After thorough 
scouring, rinse in cold water, and put through the potash 
solution to remove grease. The knives should not be left 
out in the air, or they will rust, but if the plating tank is 
not ready they should be placed in the sal-soda solution. 
Do not touch with the hands. After plunging them in the 
lye, the knives are rinsed in cold water and passed quickly 
through a dip composed of i pt. of muriatic acid to I gal. 
of water, at a temperature of about jo° F. The goods 
should now be free from all grease and oxidation, or, in 
other words, chemically clean. This can be readily deter- 
mined by the way water acts on the surface; if it wets 
evenly it is clean, but if it shows any repulsion or "duck's 
back" it must go into the potash again. 

To get the best results in plating, use two baths or 
"strikes" before the third or final plate. The first solution 
is made as follows : Potassium cyanide, 2 lb. ; silver chlo- 
ride, 1% dwt; in enough water to give a density of 20 to 
24 Baume. The silver chloride may be made by dissolv- 
ing 1 oz. of fine silver in nitric acid and precipitating with 
muriatic acid or common salt and then washing. Instead 
of a silver anode, a large copper anode is preferred, as it 
adds enough copper to the solution to make a strong de- 
posit while giving no coppery tint. The pressure used 



SILVERPLATING 73 

should not be above 2 volts. Move the knives about as they 
hang on the rods, to get a good deposit. In five or six 
minutes they should have a bright straw-colored deposit, 
and may be taken out and brushed. 

The second bath is the regulation silver "strike" of 8 oz. 
of potassium cyanide and y 2 oz. of silver chloride in enough 
water to give a density of 20 Baume. Use a pure silver 
anode. Four or five minutes in this bath should be 
sufficient. 

The goods are now ready for the final plating. For this a 
solution is made of 6 oz. of potassium cyanide and 3 oz. of 
silver chloride to 1 gal. of water. Dissolve 2^ oz. of fine 
silver in dilute nitric acid and convert into chloride in the 
usual way. Then dissolve in enough strong cyanide solu- 
tion to take it up, and add water enough to make 1 gal., and 
dissolve in it 1^2 oz. of cyanide to give an excess of free 
cyanide. This solution will show 7 or 8° Baume. 

The knives are now placed in the tank with silver anodes 
on both sides to secure an even deposit. The anode surface 
should exceed that of the goods. Use a weak current, not 
over 1 volt, and move the goods in the bath often while the 
plating is going on. To secure what is called a "12-dwt. 
deposit," or 12 pennyweights of silver to the dozen knives, 
they should remain in the bath from iy 2 to 2 hours. When 
the operation has been completed, the knives are taken out, 
scratchbrushed and buffed with a soft rag wheel and silver 
rouge, care being taken not to use too much rouge. Bur- 
nishing gives an extra finish, but it takes too much time for 
ordinary jobs. 



CHAPTER VIII 



GOLDPLATING 



IT WILL NOT be necessary here to describe the process 
of goldplating any further than relates to the work of a 
small shop or jeweler. Of course the large outfits are en- 
tirely unsuitable for this work. Rings and other articles 
of jewelry, watch cases and the like, may be plated with a 
plant that occupies no more space than a kitchen table. 
Such an outfit is illustrated in Fig. 52. The electroplating 
supply houses offer an outfit about as follows: One 
enameled iron vessel; 1 large Bunsen cell; 1 gal. of 24 or 
14-karat gold solution; gold anode; connecting wire; 




Fig. 52. Small Goldplating Outfit 



scratchbrush ; hard and soft gold rouge. Polishing mops 
one can make for himself. As this sort of work is often 
done in a dwelling or ill-ventilated room, it is desirable to 
use a battery which does not give off noxious fumes. 

For goldplating, the goods must be thoroughly cleaned 
and prepared very much as in the processes for other 
metals. It is advisable to copperplate articles of soft metal, 

74 



GOLDPLATING 75 

as in silverplating, but quickening with mercury is unnec- 
essary. Copper, silver, brass and various alloys used in 
making cheap jewelry usually take a gold deposit with no 
difficulty. Aluminum articles should be coppered in a solu- 
tion of copper sulphate. The better the polish that is given 
the goods before gilding, the better the work will result. 
If a matt or frosted surface is desired, roughen the surface 
with acid or a frosting brush before gilding. Some jewel- 
ers and platers make their own gold solution by dissolving 
pure gold in a heated solution of potassium cyanide, and 
passing an electric current through the solution until suffi- 
cient metal is dissolved. The process will not be given here 
in detail, as in practice it would be found wasteful by any 
but an expert. Solutions of known strength may be bought 
of the supply houses at very little above the value of the 
gold and these save time and labor and are always reliable. 
As in plating silver, it is not desirable to put several articles 
of different metals or alloys in the plating bath at once. 
Several copper articles, or several silver articles, may be 
worked at the same time. 

In a small earthen dish or crock 6 or 8 in. in diameter, 
for the plating bath, the articles are suspended by fine cop- 
per wire from a cathode rod of copper the size of ordinary 
fence wire. See that the connections to the articles are 
good, and that anything of the link or chain character is 
attached to the wire in several places. The anode should be 
of pure gold plate not less than 0.06 inch in thickness. Leaf, 
or any ribbon thinner than this, is apt to be worn away and 
wasted. A platinum wire should be used for the anode. 
As in silver, the anode surface should be slightly in excess 
of the surface of the cathode. It should be frequently 
moved in the bath, and always taken out and dried when 
not in use. 

An excess of current, too large an anode surface, or a 
deficiency of free cyanide in the solution, is indicated by a 
gathering of slime on the anode. If the plater knows that 



76 GOLDPLATING 

the solution is not overworked or exhausted, he should look 
carefully to the current and the relation of anode and 
cathode. 

The temperature of the gilding bath should be from 140 
to 180 F. when working. At a lower temperature the de- 
posit is lighter colored, and below 120 it will be of a 
straw color or brassy tint. As the internal resistance of the 
bath is reduced by heat, the color darkens, and above 160 
it takes on a coppery hue. A fresh solution deposits gold 
of a very light tint, while as it grows older, the tint grows 
darker. The alloys are acted upon by the solution, as are 
the copper wires, and they gradually impart an alloy to the 
coat deposited. 

For small work, a single cell, working at y 2 volt and a 
fraction of an ampere, will give sufficient current. As in 
silverplating, when the current is too strong, the work 
"burns" and the gold is deposited in a loose, powdery 
form, reddish brown in color. It is best to have a rheostat, 
in gilding, even with a small outfit, to insure proper volt- 
age, for this is one of the places where guesswork does not 
pay. If a job is "burned" so as to give it a bronze tinge, it 
can only be made right by stripping and regilding. Some- 
times, however, a dark brown deposit of gold is caused by 
excess of free cyanide and a deficiency of gold in the solu- 
tion, a condition which is remedied by adding cyanide of 
gold to the solution. 

Another condition afifecting the color of the gilding is the 
metal which forms the base, which may be said to shine 
through the extremely thin film of gold and impart its own 
hue to the gilding; hence, if other conditions are right, the 
gilding, which may look at first very dark on copper, or 
light on silver, will be apt to improve as more gold is de- 
posited. A knowledge of the behavior of gold in depositing 
on other metals will permit the expert plater to produce 
some very attractive efifects. Thus, on freshly deposited 
copper and silver, on frosted surfaces, and where frosted 



GOLDPLATING 77 

and burnished effects are combined, a thin gilding often 
produces beautiful results, which may be given fanciful 
names such as gold of Ophir, Ormus gold, Alaska gold, 
etc. There are several popular fallacies in connection with 
the color of gold from various localities and as regards 
certain so-called "golds." Thus, it is commonly believed 
that African gold is of a coppery hue, while California gold 
is light in tint; that "rolled gold" is anything but gilt, and 
usually a very low grade of gilt at that. But these are 
simply fallacies, though so dear are they to the popular 
heart that it is useless to attempt to destroy them. 

If the plater has progressed far enough to handle several 
plating vessels with different solutions, he may work w r ith 
various alloys, or copper, silver, etc., which will give almost 
as many hues to the goods (only portions of which may be 
immersed in» the bath) as could be given by using pigments 
applied with a brush. For example, a green gilt is pro- 
duced by adding a copper cyanide solution, or the use of a 
copper anode until the desired tint is obtained. Rose pink 
is effected by scratchbrushing the first filmy deposit of 
gold, then giving it a thin coating of copper, and finishing 
with a blush of gold on the face of the copper. These, 
however, may be called eccentricities for the amusement 
and diversion of a wealthy alchemist, rather than the work 
of a commercial electroplater. 

Heavy gilding is done, not by allowing the article to re- 
main long in the bath, but by taking it out often and 
scratchbrushing it to remove the loosely adhering particles 
of gold and then returning it to the bath for another coat. 

Small articles of steel, if they have a highly polished sur- 
face, may be thoroughly cleansed and put through the gild- 
ing bath suspended in a platinum basket, as described for 
buttons, etc., in silverplating. When this process is fol- 
lowed, the gold on the platinum basket may be recovered 
by hanging it on the anode rod in the bath. 

A metal egg cup or salt cellar or other cup-shaped vessel 



78 GOLDPLATING 

may be gilded on the inside by filling it with the solution 
and connecting it with the cathode rod, while a small plate 
of gold forming the anode, is suspended in the solution. 

Gold is deposited more rapidly than nickel or copper but 
not as rapidly as silver, the ratio being 37.8 gr. per hour 
with a current of one ampere. When it is calculated that 
sufficient gold has been deposited, which, after all, can only 
be judged by experience, the articles are taken out, rinsed 
in clear water, scratchbrushed, dried by rubbing in hot box- 
wood sawdust, and weighed. Goldsmiths' balances showing 
tenths of grains, will be required and should be kept in a 
separate closet assigned to the goldplating outfit. The 
articles having been carefully weighed before plating and 
after the process is completed, the difference shows the 
amount of metal deposited. 

In actual practice the work will be something like this: 
A charge of say $1.00 is made for gilding or triple-plating 
a watch fob, badge or some similar article. (The term 
"triple plate" is like rolled gold, it does not mean much of 
anything, but it sounds well and people like it). This will 
allow for 5 gr. of gold, and $.79 for work, there being 23.22 
gr. of pure gold in one dollar. A piece of gold plate having 
a larger surface than the fob or badge, supposing it to be 
the only article to be gilded, is suspended on the anode rod 
and the fob, prepared and weighed as already described, is 
wired on the cathode rod. If several pieces are gilded at 
the same time, of course the expense of the process in time 
is proportionately reduced. After remaining in the bath 
10 minutes, the fob is taken out, scratchbrushed and 
weighed. If it is found to have gained, say, 2 gr. in the 10 
minutes time, it is clear that in 15 minutes more it should 
take on the required additional 3 gr., and it is put back 
for that time. 

In gilding bracelets, chains or other similar articles of 
jewelry, care should be taken to see that all joints are well 
soldered, so that they do not become filled with the plating 



GOLDPLATING 



79 



solution and cause errors in the calculation of the gold 
deposit as indicated by the weight. 

Jewels in rings, society emblems, etc., should be re- 
moved before gilding and placed in a small box properly 
marked and kept under lock and key. They may be glass 
but that, of course, is a professional secret. All soft metal 




Figf. S3. Lathe Buff for Goldplating 

and alloy goods and articles which have been repaired 
should be copperplated before gilding. 

Waste from the gold table should be saved for the re- 
covery of the gold it contains. This is done by letting the 
water settle and carefully dipping off the clear water. 
Evaporate the rest (if a solution, all should be evaporated) 
in a smooth porcelain-lined kettle or dish. To the remain- 
ing salt or residuum add an equal bulk of litharge (lead 
monoxide) and mix well. Calcine in a crucible and keep 



80 



GOLDPLATING 



at a glowing heat over a gas burner until all the litharge has 
been decomposed, leaving a button of lead and gold with 
the silver, copper and other metals of the alloy. This may 
be sent to the assayer, who will allow for the precious 




Fig. 54. Lathe Buff for Goldplating 

metals it contains. Unless the plater is an expert chemist, 
however, he had better not undertake the delicate process 
of reduction. 

The tools and articles used in goldplating should be kept 
for that purpose only, and not mixed up with others. The 
brushing and cleaning may be done entirely by hand, but if 
much work of this character is done a small lathe will be 
found useful. A small scratchbrush of fine brass wire, 





Fig. 55. Hand Buff 



Fig. 56. Hand Buff 



one of crimped wire, several small brushes, mops of swans- 
down muslin, soft felt, chamois skin, etc., for the lathe and 
hand work, with a supply of French rouge compound, are 
among the necessaries. Several kinds of buffs are shown in 



GOLDPLATING 81 

Figs. 53, 54, 55 and 56. Small brushes or mops on pencils 
and penholders which will answer all the purposes of more 
expensive articles, may be made up by the gilder. Burnish- 
ers are made of steel and agate, and economical jewelers 
in the country are said to use their wives' manicure sets 
for this purpose. All repairs, filling of pin holes, removal 
of dirt, etc., must be done before gilding. 

Gilded work should have only sufficient scratchbrushing 
to take off the loose metal. ■ The operator should also ham- 
mer down the minute particles into a smooth, even coat 
After this is done, scour with soft felt, swansdown muslin 
and chamois, using a little fine rouge composition. In 
using rouge, one must take care to wash it all out of articles 
that have engraved work or crevices which are not easily 
reached with the brushes. Chains, rings, thimbles, etc., are 
best polished by using small bobs of fine felt or chamois on 
the polishing lathe. 

In the process of brushing, a lubricant should be used 
both to prevent the gold wearing away and to keep the 
brass from depositing on the gold. English platers always 
recommend stale beer, but a weak solution of linseed is 
really better. 

If a lathe is used, the brush should be protected by a 
hood to prevent the waste of gold in splashing. A few 
minutes may be profitably spent in watching an expert 
polisher at work. Notice the brushes and bobs used for 
each class of work, and how the article is held against the 
brush so as to get the smooth brushing motion and not the 
direct blow of the bristles, and how spattering is avoided 
as much as possible simply by the position in which the 
article is held. 

BURNISHING GOLD 

Burnishing is an art in itself. Much harm can be done 
by using a rusty steel burnisher, or one with a sharp edge- 
Rust is corrosion of the metal by the oxygen in the air, or 
from acids, and the result is a roughening of the bright 



82 



GOLDPLATING 



surface. Steel burnishers should have all the care one 
gives to a good razor and perhaps more, for a rough bur- 
nisher may spoil a job. The common shapes of steel bur- 
nishers are show in Fig. 57. Steel burnishers should have 
their bright surfaces kept in good condition by frequent 
rubbings on a soft leather pad with putty powder. The 




Fig. 57. Steel Burnishers for Goldplatingf 



burnishers should never be put away without being wiped 
with an oiled cloth, in which they should be wrapped to 
protect them from acid fumes and moisture. Burnishers 
of agate or bloodstone cost more than those of steel, but 
they do not rust. They also have a smoother and harder 
surface than the best steel, and so give a brighter polish to 
the goods. Especial care must be given to agate burnish- 



GOLDPLATING 83 

ers to see that the corners do not get chipped, which gives 
them a cutting edge that is destructive to the articles on 
which they are worked. They should always be wrapped 
in muslin or linen when put away, and carefully examined 
under a glass before used. These tools cost from $1.00 to 
$1.25 for steel and $1.50 to $2.50 for agate, etc. Lend your 
plating dish, if you must, for a preserving kettle, and let 
thieves run off with your gold solution, but never, under 
any circumstances, lend your burnishers. 

The following directions will help the beginner : Regard 
the article on which you are working as a soft material, as 
indeed it is, covered by a very thin film of an even softer 
material The burnishing tool simply presses down these 
particles, mats them together and so smooths and brightens 
the surface, much as a boy makes a hard snowball out of 
flaky snow, or the glazier spreads and packs putty against 
the edge of a sheet of glass. Remember that the object 
from the beginning of the polishing is not to wear away the 
gold, but to smooth it down. With this purpose in view the 
ring or other article is held on a soft pad with one hand, 
while with the other the burnisher is pressed hard on the 
surface with swathing strokes overlapping each other and 
always in the same direction. To avoid friction, the sur- 
face may be lubricated with weak castile-soap suds freshly 
made, using the steel burnisher first and finishing with 
agate. When a sufficiently bright and uniform surface is 
obtained, rinse in hot water and dry with a clean soft linen 
cloth. 

For polishing steel and agate burnishers, a fine Lake 
Superior stone is used (one of clear flint, which should be 
kept exclusively for this purpose, and is to be used only for 
removing rust or sharp edges), and a buff, which is like a 
hone made of soft leather. To make this, get a piece of soft 
dressed leather (calf skin will do, but deer skin is better; 
chamois is too thin), say, 2 by 4 in. Boil it in soft water to 
remove chemicals, dry it quickly and soften by rubbing. 



84 GOLDPLATING 

Then glue it to a block of beech or maple I in. thick, 5 in. 
long by 3 in. broad. The dimensions are not important, but 
are given as a general guide. Use warm glue, but thin 
enough to strike through the leather, and press down with 
a clean block and weights. Keep it covered. If the buff 
and stone are permitted to gather dust they become abra- 
sives rather than polishers, in fact, grindstones. Therefore 
they should be kept in boxes or wrapped in a bit of muslin. 
The value of tools depends very much on the way they are 
kept. 

Burnishing requires a good light, a careful eye and a 
steady hand. It takes skill, which is a little word that in- 
cludes everything. As to the brushing, there are many 
details of the work that cannot be given in the printed 
directions and which can only be learned by careful prac- 
tice and the observation of the work of an expert. 

Burnishing should be done in a room that is free from 
dust. The windows should be protected by gauze screens. 
Do not try to burnish by artificial light, and it is better to 
have no gas or stove in the room, or furnace heat, as these 
all give out gases injurious to fine polished surfaces, 
especially silver. 



CHAPTER IX 

MISCELLANEOUS 

THE NICKELING of molded work is a more delicate 
process than the plating of metal goods, but not differ- 
ent after the process has been learned. A wax mold of 
the article having been prepared, it is dusted with black 
lead and placed in the copper bath for a thin film of cop- 
per. The mold must be free from undercutting, or inter- 
stices which would prevent a free separation of the mold 
and the matrix. The copper matrix is then removed from 
the mold and placed in the nickel vat and a coat of nickel 
of the desired thickness applied. 

TO MAKE COPIES OF WAX MOLDS 

Fine copies of wax impressions can be made in a very 
simple manner as follows : If the article is no larger than 
an ordinary medal or brooch intaglio, take an ordinary 
tumbler and partially fill it with a strong solution of sul- 
phate of copper. Then make a porous cell by rolling a piece 
of stiff brown paper around a piece of broom handle and 
fasten the edge with sealing wax, putting in a bottom in 
the same way. A Welsbach burner box will serve very 
well. Make a solution of i part of oil of vitriol and 5 
parts of water (adding the vitriol slowly to the water), 
and pour this mixture into the porous cell. Wind the end 
of a small copper wire around the end of a bit of zinc the 
size of a pencil and drop the zinc into the porous cell. 
Attach the other end of the wire to the wax impression, 
which is prepared thus : Pour melted beeswax on the 
medal, and remove carefully when cold. Then dust the 
mold with black lead and polish with a stiff camel's-hair 
brush. Suspend the porous cup and the wax mold in the 
tumbler, connect with a battery (one cell) and run about 

85 



86 MISCELLANEOUS 

12 hours. Take out and polish, and a good copy should 
result. 

OXIDIZING COPPER, BRONZE AND SILVER 

The process of oxidizing is simply the corroding or rust- 
ing of the bright metal surface to give it a frosted appear- 
ance. It may be done in various ways to give the effect 
desired. A simple method is as follows: Dissolve Yi oz. 
of sulphate of potash in i gal. of water, and use as a dip 
solution at 130 F. in a vitrified earthenware crock. The 
high light is then brought out by slightly touching the work 
to a felt wheel charged with rouge. Sewed buffs are also 
used with good effect, and for a rougher finish the steel or 
brass wire brush is used. 

BRONZING 

Real bronze is an alloy of copper and tin, with a small 
addition of zinc, and sometimes of aluminum. A "bronze 
effect" is often given to iron and copper goods by the use 
of an alkali dip. Bronzing solutions in the electroplating 
tank may be made to give a passable bronze luster by the 
addition of copper with expert handling. The following 
alkaline coppering solution is often called a bronze solu- 
tion and works in a very satisfactory manner. 

BRONZE COPPERING SOLUTION 

Dissolve 2 oz. of copper sulphate in 1 qt. of hot distilled 
water, and add it to % gal. of water in which has been 
dissolved 4 oz. of potassium carbonate ; add 2 oz. of liquid 
ammonia and stir until the green precipitate is entirely 
dissolved. Make a solution of 6 oz. of potassium cyanide 
in Yz gal. of distilled water; mix with the above and filter 
through felt or double muslin. Work at 8o° to ioo° F. To 
deepen the bronze tint dip the coppered goods in a solution 
of sal ammoniac. 



MISCELLANEOUS 87 

SILVERPLATING WITHOUT A BATTERY 

A simple and practical home silvering process is as fol- 
lows : Dissolve two silver dollars or their equivalent in 2 
oz. of nitric acid and add slowly 4 oz. of common salt dis- 
solved in just enough water to take up the salt. Decant the 
liquid and wash the silver-chloride precipitate with water. 
Dissolve it in a solution of 2 oz. of potassium cyanide, and 
3 oz. of hyposulphite of sodium in 6 oz. of water. Filter 
the solution and make up with distilled water to 2 qt. 
Clean the articles to be plated with lye and hang them by a 
stick of lead in a stoneware crock and boil 10 or 20 minutes 
in this solution. Be careful not to breath the fumes of this 
solution, which is a deadly poison. 

CLEANING BRASS AND STEEL 

For exhibition purposes, but not for plating, brass and 
steel articles may be quickly and cheaply cleaned by rub- 
bing with vinegar and salt, or dilute oxalic acid. Wash 
immediately and polish with tripoli and sweet oil. 

TO PREVENT TARNISH ON SILVER 

Brush alcohol in which a little collodion has been dis- 
solved over silverware that is to be set away for any length 
of time. The thin invisible coating left by the solution can 
be readily removed by dipping the article in hot water. 

METALLIZED FLOWERS 

The making of the so-called "metallized roses" and other 
natural flowers is upon the same principle as plating 
molded work. The process is patented and the secret is 
carefully guarded. The general method of the work, how- 
ever, is unde r stood to be as follows : The rose or other 
bud is dipped in a mucilage which stiffens the petals, and 
is then dusted with plumbago. It is then given a copper 
coating in a cold bath and the copper is then worked in 



88 



MISCELLANEOUS 




o 

& 

u 

a 
o 






MISCELLANEOUS 



89 




Fig. 58. Dip Lacquering 




Fig. 59. Brush Lacquering 



90 



MISCELLANEOUS 



various tints, as may be required, and colored by hand. A 
thin gilding may be given if desired. If the plating jeweler 
successful in his experiments, he may strike a very 



is 



profitable business. 



LACQUERING 



Many plated articles, such as buckles, trimmings, etc., 
for the trade, are lacquered to protect the plating and give 
a higher and more lustrous finish. The lacquer should be 
thin, colorless and of good quality. It should be applied 
carefully to insure a good job. Lacquers are of two kinds, 
dip lacquer and brush lacquer, and the names will indicate 
their use. 




Fig. 61 Hand Sprayer 



The dip lacquer should be kept in a glass or stoneware 
tank or jar, with a tight cover. If much work is done a 
tin-lined wooden tank is used. The goods should be 
cleaned as for plating. Hang them on a wire so that they 
do not touch each other, dip and let them drip over the 
tank The method is shown in Fig. 58. The lacquer should 
run well, and not be thin enough to be iridescent (rainbow- 
colored) nor thick enough to show the drip — that is, the 
accumulated hardened drops at the bottom. Work at about 
ioo° F. Dry in air free from dust at ioo° F. to 140 F. 



MISCELLANEOUS 91 

If the lacquer has to be thinned, use a thinner of the same 
grade. 

Brush lacquers are used thicker than dip lacquers, but 
as this is possible without showing iridescence give a flow- 
ing coat with a soft lacquer brush as illustrated in Fig. 59. 
See that no rouge, or any composition of any sort or any 
greasy deposit is left on the goods, as this will give a milky 
appearance. Do not touch the articles with the hands. 

A general view of the lacquer room is shown in Fig. 60. 

Manufacturers of metal goods are now successfully 
applying lacquer by the use of sprayers operated by com- 
pressed air. A hand sprayer, Fig. 61, is also made which 
answers very well where compressed air is not available. 
The great advantages of the sprayer where much lacquer- 
ing is done lies in the fact that a much smaller quantity 
and a thinner body of lacquer is required than by the dip 
or brush methods. 

REMOVAL OF STAINS 

To remove stains of copper sulphate, or salts of mer- 
cury, gold, silver, etc., from the hands, wash them with a 
very dilute solution of ammonia, and then with plenty of 
water; if the stains are old ones, they should be rubbed 
with the strongest acetic acid, and then treated as above. 

Grease, oil, tar, etc., may be removed from the hands or 
clothes by rubbing with a rag saturated with benzine, 
turpentine, or carbon bisulphide. 



CHAPTER X 

FIRST AID TO THE INJURED 

THE CHEMICALS with which the electroplater has to 
do, are, many of them, deadly poisons, and their com- 
binations often produce corrosive and poisonous gases. 
Familiarity breeds contempt, as we know, but it is criminal 
carelessness, and nothing less, if the plater allows his famil- 
iar use of deadly poisons to endanger the lives of himself 
and his workers. 

Have the following list of antidotes and the directions 
for their use typewritten and tacked up on the door of a 
"First Aid" cabinet on the wall. Study it and memorize the 
leading points, because when an accident happens with the 
hydrochloric acid, the sulphuric acid or the like, there is no 
time for study, and if the right thing is not done on the 
instant, it is a case for the coroner. 

ANTIDOTES FOR POISONS 

In case of poisoning, send or telephone for a doctor, and 
take remedial measures as quickly as possible, as follows: 

Nitric, Hydrochloric or Sulphuric Acids. — Give as much 
tepid water as possible to act as an emetic, or milk, the 
whites of eggs, some calcined magnesia, or a mixture of 
chalk and water. If those acids, in a concentrated state, 
have been spilled on the skin, apply a mixture of whiting 
and olive oil. If the quantity is very small, simple washing 
with plenty of cold water will suffice. A useful mixture, 
in cases of burning with strong sulphuric acid, is formed 
with I oz. of quicklime slaked with % oz. of water, and 
then adding it to I qt. of water. After allowing to stand 
some time, pour of? the clear liquid and mix it with olive 
oil to form a thin paste. 

Potassium Cyanide, Hydrocyanic Acid, etc. — If cya- 

92 



FIRST AID 93 

nides, such as a drop of an ordinary plating solution has 
been accidentally swallowed, water, as cold as possible, 
should be run on the head and spine of the sufferer, and a 
dilute solution of iron acetate, citrate or tartrate given. If 
hydrocyanic-acid vapors have been inhaled, cold water 
should be applied as above, and the patient be caused to 
inhale air containing a little chlorine gas, which can be kept 
in solution in water in a tightly stoppered bottle. Chlorine 
solution may be purchased in bottles. Never dip the arms 
into a plating solution to recover any work that has fallen 
off the wires, because the skin often absorbs cyanide 
liquids, causing painful sores. In such a case, wash well 
with water, and apply the olive oil and lime-water mixture. 

Alkalies. — These bodies are the opposite of acids in 
character, so that acids may be used as antidotes. It is 
preferable to employ weak acids, such as vinegar or lemon- 
ade; but if these are not at hand, then use exceedingly 
dilute sulphuric acid, or even nitric acid diluted, so that it 
just possesses a decidedly sour taste. After about ten 
minutes take a few teaspoonfuls of olive oil. 

Mercury Salts. — The white of an egg is the best antidote 
in this case. Sulphur and sulphureted hydrogen are also 
serviceable for the purpose. 

Copper Salts. — The stomach should be quickly emptied 
by means of an emetic, or in want of this, the patient 
should thrust his finger in the back of his throat, so as to 
induce vomiting. After vomiting, drink milk, white of an 
e gg> or g um water. 

Lead Salts. — Proceed as in case of copper salts. Lemon- 
ade, soda water and sodium carbonate are also serviceable. 

Acid Vapors. — Admit immediately an abundance of 
fresh air, and inhale the vapor of ammonia, or a few drops 
of ammonia may be put into a glass of water and the solu- 
tion drunk. Take plenty of hot drinks and excite warmth 
by friction. Employ hot foot baths to remove the blood 
from the lungs. Keep the throat moist by sipping milk. 



94 



FIRST AID 



PROMPT AID 





111 




■ 


III 


■ 




WMmM? 





FOR THE INJURED 



NOTICE 

All Articles used must be promptli) 
returned to this Closet. 



Fig. 62. First-Aid Cabinet 



FIRST AID 95 

FIRST-AID CABINET 

In a handy little closet on the wall (you can make one 
out of a soap box) as shown in Fig. 62, keep the supplies 
listed below, omitting none of them because you may pos- 
sibly have them somewhere about the shop. The whole 
outfit will not cost $2.00 and it may save a life. 

8-oz. bottle of olive oil. Label — For acids and alkalies. 

4-oz. bottle of calcined magnesia. Label — For acids. 

4-oz. bottle of lime and oil dressing. Label — For burns 
— Shake well. 

4-oz. bottle of ammonia. Label — For acid vapors. 

Yz oz. cream of tartar. Label — For mercury salts. 

Y^ lb. vaseline. Label — For burns. 

y 2 lb. absorbent cotton. 

4 oz. iron acetate. Label — For cyanides! 



CHAPTER XI 

BUSINESS SUGGESTIONS 

\X7HEN THE beginner has finished several samples of 
* * work, which will pass the inspection of a good 
judge, he is then ready to set up in business. A good 
scheme is to start out with some simple article experience 
has shown can be done easily and well, such as a collar 
button, a belt buckle, watch fob or perhaps a souvenir 
spoon if a good original design can be made. Put a fair 
price on the article and show it to all your friends. Adver- 
tise it in the local paper and give the editor one or more 
for his own use. Get some cards neatly printed with just 
your name, business and location and distribute them. Do 
not load down your card or billhead with a lot of useless 
printing. Work the automobile garages and try to get their 
business. Remember, you must make your business known 
or people will not come to you. Don't hide your card 
under a bush. 

Watch your own work carefully, and that of your assist- 
ant, if you have one, still more carefully. Get a young fel- 
low of sense and ambition and pay him by the week. Piece 
work is apt to be slighted and does not pay. 

Keep careful accounts, and especially a book of receipts 
and description of goods. This prevents annoying errors. 
Have an understanding with a larger shop that does good 
work to take jobs off your hands that you are unable to 
undertake, and then you need not turn a job away because 
you have not the facilities for taking care of it. By 
watching how the bigger shop conducts its business you 
will get points for managing your own. If you make an 
estimate on a job that brings you a loss, you may tell your 
customer, but do not attempt to raise the price. It will 
please him to know that he gets more than he pays for, 
and you can charge the difference up to experience. 

96 



Alphabetical Index 



Acidity, testing for, 62. 

Acids, antidotes for, 92. 

Acid vapors, antidotes for, 93. 

Alaska gold, 77. 

Alkalies, antidotes for, 93. 

Ammeter, 28. 

Ampere, definition of, 16. 

Anode, 12. 

Antidotes for poisons, 92, 93, 95. 

Apparatus, simple forms of elec- 
troplating, 10. 

Arrangement of tanks and bat- 
tery, 33. 

Batteries, electric, 1$. 

Battery, How a, Works, 20. 

Blister, removing, 63. 

Blisters, 70. 

Bobs, 48. 

Bronze coppering solution, 86. 

Bronzing, 86. 

Brush, cup-shaped, 43 

Brushes, various, 43, 44, 45, 46. 

Brush lacquer, 90. 

Brush lacquering, 89, 91. 

Buffing, correct way of holding 
article, 49. 

Buffing lathe, power, 37. 

Buffs, 48. 

Bull-neck leather wheel, 47. 

Bunsen cell, 18. 

Bunsen cell, best uses of, 19. 

"Burned" work, 76. 

Burnishers for gold-plated ware, 
81, 82. 

Burnishing directions, in gold- 
plating, 83, 84. 

Burnishing gold, 81. 

Business suggestions, 96. 

Canvas wheel, 46. 



Carborundum, 49. 
Carborundum wheel, 47. 
Cathode, 12. 
Cleaning before electroplating, 

14. 
Cleaning brass and steel, 87. 
Cleaning goods before plating, 

53. 
Cleansing solutions, 53. 
Compound-wound dynamo, 26. 
Compressed-leather wheel, 48. 
Connections for electroplating. 

11. 

Connections of tanks, dynamos 
and rheostats, 34. 

Coppering solution, 56. 

Copperplating, 56. 

Copper salts, antidotes for, 93. 

Corundum wheel, 47. 

Covers for tanks, 31. 

Crocus, 50. 

Cutting down, 71, 73. 

Cyanide, antidote for, 92. 

Daniell cell, 17. 

Difference of potential, 16. 

Dip lacquer, 90. 

Dip lacquering, 89, 90. 

Dipping baskets, 39. 

Dynamo, 25. 

Electrical equipment, 15. 

Electric batteries, 15. 

Electric circuit, 11. 

Electrolysis, 13. 

Electromotive force, 16. 

Electroplating, definition, 9. 

Electroplating outfit, simple, 12, 

13. 

Electroplating rule, 69. 



97 



98 



ALPHABETICAL INDEX 



Electroplating tank, home-made, 

30. 
Emery, 49. 
Emery wheel, 47. 
E. m. i, 20. 
English Bunsen cell, 18. 
Equipment, miscellaneous, 37. 
Filling plating barrel, 52. 
First aid cabinet, 94, 95. 
First aid to the injured, 92. 
Flow of current, analogy, 20. 
French Bunsen cell, 19. 
Gilding, crock or glazed dish for, 

32. 
Gilding jewelry, 78. 
Goldplating, 74. 
Goldplating, crock or glazed dish 

for, 32. 
Goldplating outfit, 74. 
Grouping of cells, 21, 22, 23, 34. 
Hand brushes, 45, 46, 48. 
Hand sprayer, 90. 
How metal is deposited, 10. 
Hydrochloric acid, antidote for 

92. 
Hydrocyanic acid, antidote for, 

92. 
Hydrometer, 37, 38. 
Jewelry, gilding, 78. 
Joining for quantity, 21. 
Lacquering, 90. 
Lacquer, removing, 54. 
Lacquer room, 88. 
Lathe brush for inside of gob- 
lets, 43- 
Lathe buffs for goldplating, 79, 

80. 
Lead salts, antidotes for. 93. 
Litmus paper, 50. 
Loose-wire brush, 45, 48. 
Measuring instruments, 27. 
Mechanical plating tank, 51. 
Mercury salts, antidotes for, 93. 
Metallized flowers, 87. 
Methods, old and new, 10. 
Miscellaneous equipment, 37. 



Molded work, nickeling, 85. 

Muslin and cotton wheel, 46. 

Negative metal, 15. 

Negative pole, 11. 

Nickel anodes, forms of, 59, 60, 
61. 

Nickeling molded work, 85. 

Nickelometer, 62. 

Nickelplating, 58. 

Nickel, rate of deposition of, 62. 

Nickel-stripping bath, 59. 

Nitric acid, antidote for, 92. 

Ohm, definition of, 16. 

Ophir gold, 77. 

Ormus gold, 77. 

Oxidizing, 86. 

Parallel grouping of cells, 21, 22, 
24. 

Path of current, 11, 12. 

Plating barrels, 52. 

Plating shop, 40. 

Plating tank, making ready, 32. 

Plating tank, mechanical, 51. 

Plating vats, 31, 

Platinum black, 17. 

Poisons, antidotes for, 92, 93, 95. 

Polarization, 17. 

Polishing, correct way of hold- 
ing article in, 49. 

Polishing machine, 36. 

Polishing tools and powders, 43. 

Positive element, 16. 

Positive pole, 11. 

Potassium cyanide, antidote for, 
92. 

Potential, difference of, 16. 

Power polishing and buffing 
lathe, 37. 

Preparing small articles for plat- 
ing, 52. 

Pressure, electric, 20. 

Pumice, 49. 

Quickening, 65. 

Quickening solution, 65. 

Re-amalgamating zincs of Dan- 
iell cell, 18. 



ALPHABETICAL INDEX 



99 



Recharging Daniell cell, 18. 
Regulating instruments, 27. 
Replating knives, 71. 
Resistance box, 21. 
Resistance, electric, 21. 
Respirator, home-made, 38, 39. 
Rheostat, 21, 27. 
Rolled gold, 77. 
Rotten stone, 50. 
Rouge, 50. 

Rust, removing, 53, 54. 
Sand-blast finish, 48. 
Satin finishing, 48. 
Scouring troughs, 35. 
Scratchbrushes, 43, 44. 
Scrubbing troughs, 35. 
Scum, remov'ng, 50. 
Series grou' ag of cells, 21, 22, 
23. 

Series-parallel grouping of cells, 
21, 22, 24. 

Sheffield lime, 50. 
Shop arrangement, general plan 
of, 42. 

Shop equipment, 30. 
Shunt-wound dynamo, 26. 
Silverplating, 65. 
Silverplating outfit, how to make 

■ a small, 13. 
Silverplating nail articles, 71. 
Silverplating vvithout a battery, 
87. 



Silver sand, 50. 

Silver solution, 66. 

Smee cell, 16. 

Sprayer, hand, 90. 

Stains, removing, 91. 

Strength of silver solution, 67. 

Strikes, 72, 73. 

Stripping, 54. 

Stripping nickelplate, 58. 

Stripping solution, 54. 

Sulphuric acid, antidote for, 92. 

Tampico brush, 48. 

Tank, 13, 30. 

Tank regulation, 35. 

Tarnishing, to prevent nickel 

from, 64. 
Tarnish, removing, 54. 
Tarnish, to prevent, on silver, 

87. 

Temperature of plating shop, 41. 

Triple gold plate, 78. 

Tripoli, 50. 

Vats, plating, 31. 

Ventilating the shop, 41. 

Verdigris, removing, 53. 

Vienna lime, 50. 

Voltage, 20. 

Volt, definition of, 16. 

Voltmeter, 28, 29. 

Walrus wheel, 47, 49. 

Wax molds, 85. 

Wheels, various, 46, 47, 48. 

Whiting, 50. 



Metal Spinning 



By PROF. F. D. CRAWSHAW 



^£{3C I Assistant Dean, College of Engineering ^OC 

I University of Illinois 



METAL SPINNING is Number 2 of Popu- 
lar Mechanics 25-cent Handbook Series and has 
80 pages, ^ illustrations, is bound in attractive 
cloth covers and printed on a fine quality of 
paper. 

This handbook is unique in that it is the only book pub- 
lished on this interesting art, instructions regarding which 
have previously been handed down by word of mouth from 
generation to generation of expert metal spinners. 

It is "Written so you can understand it " by a man well 
qualified because he has made a thorough study of all obtain- 
able information on the subject. He has tried out the different 
methods himself and herein he sets forth the best practice. 

Concise, yet complete, this book is adapted to use as a 
text in manual training and industrial schools and will be 
found a practical working manual both by those who desire 
to spin metal as an art recreation and those who wish to 
follow this work as a trade. 

Explicit instructions are accompanied by figures to illus- 
trate the meaning. It tells not only what tools are required, 
but how to make each kind. Definite forms to be spun are 
treated, and finally the unclassified and more difficult work is 
dealt with. 

(^/^r-if-pirifG* Chapter i, The Lathe and Its Uses; 2, Tools; 3, The 
Preparation of Metal for Spinning; 4, How to Spin a 
Shallow Dish; 5, How to Spin a Deep Dish; 6, How to Spin a Vase; 7, 
How to Spin Some Unclassified Forms. 

Price 25 Cents, Postpaid 

Popular Mechanics Book Dept. 

225 Washington Street, CHICAGO 



Metal Work and Etching 

4 'WRITTEN SO YOU CAN UNDERSTAND IT" 

By JOHN D. ADAMS 




ONE of the latest of the Popular 
Mechanics series of 25 cent industrial 
handbooks. A complete manual for 
art metal workers giving every detail for 
making a great variety of useful and orna- 
mental objects such as book ends, desk sets, 
pad corners, paper knives and letter openers, 
stationery racks, rocking blotter, desk calen- 
dars, match boxes, tie and pipe racks, whisk 
broom holders, candle sconce, arts and crafts 
jewelry, hinges, drawer pulls, etc. 

p6 Pages, Richly Illustrated, Cloth, Size jxf Inches 

Price, 25 Cents, Postpaid 

ORDER OF TOUR NEWSDEALER, BOOKSELLER, OR 

Popular Mechanics Book Dept, Publishers 

CHICAGO 



Mission Furniture 



25c | How to Make It 25c 

PART I 

THIS is the first of a series of twenty-five cent handbooks 
on industrial subjects to be issued from time to time by 
POPULAR MECHANICS. This book consists of a 
number of articles telling how to make a large assortment of 
pieces of mission furniture. It is fully illustrated and the di- 
rections are accompanied by dimensioned working drawings. 

Like POPULAR MECHANICS, it is m plain, simple lan- 
guage and "Written so you can understand it ," so that anyone 
possessing a slight knowledge of how to use tools can easily 
make the various pieces described. 



Among the contents are. 



Forty Styles of Chairs, An Easily Made Book-Shelf, How to Make a Porch 
Chair, A Portable Table, A Pyrographer's Table, How to Make a Mission 
Library Table, How to Make a Lamp Stand and Shade, How to Make a 
Roman Chair, A Home-made Mission Chair, A Home-made Mission Book- 
Rack, How to Make a Tabouret, Another Mission Chair, How to Make a 
Roll Top Desk, Home-made Lawn Swing, A Mission Candlestick, How to 
Make a Magazine Stand, How to Make a Blacking Case, How to Make a 
Mission Shaving Stand, How to Make a Piano Bench, A Dresser for a Child* s 
Play-room. 



It has 96 pages; is attractively bound in cloth covers, and can 
be ordered of any newsdealer in the U.S. or will be sent to any 
address upon receipt of the price, 25 cents, by the publishers. 

Popular Mechanics Book Dept. 



225 Washington Street 



* oc CHICAGO * OC 




PART TWO 




Mission Furniture 

How to Make It 

32 New and Approved Designs 



A Large and Varied Selection 

of Immensely Popular Pieces, 

Among Which Are: 

Two China Closets — Two 
Arm Chairs — Rocker — 
Side Chair — Mantel Clock 
— Lamp Stand — Two Foot 
Stools — Bookcase — Maga- 
zine Table — Smoking 
Stand— Wall Case— Waste 
Paper Basket — Music 
Stand — Hall Clock — Cedar 
Chest — Child's Dresser 

— Couch — Oil Lamp — 
Grill — Two Writing Desks 

— Library Set — Buffet — 
Bedstead — Dining Table 

— Medicine Cabinet — 
Telephone Stand — Plate 
Rack — Dining Room 
Shade. 



Complete dimensioned 
working drawings, ex- 
plicit instructions how 
to make, and half-tone 
illustrations of the fin- 
ished pieces. 

Special Features Are: 

Articles describing how 
to produce the different 
finishes and showing 
methods of making 
joints and bending 
wood. 

"Written So You Can 
Understand It" 

May be ordered of any news- 
dealer in the U. S. or will be 
sent to any address postpaid 
upon receipt of the price, 
25 cents, by the publishers. 



12S Pages, Cloth Cover 



POPULAR MECHANICS COMPANY 

225 Washington Street, CHICAGO 



Art-Crafts Lamps 

How to Make Them 

By JOHN D. ADAMS 

16 Beautiful Designs 

As Follows : 

Two Light Portable- 
Portable Reading — Four 
Light Chandelier — Read- 
ing Lamp — Dining Room 
Dome — Porch or Den 
Lantern — Four Light 
Chain Hung Chandelier — 
One Light Portable — Lan- 
tern — Drop Light — One 
Light Bracket — Piano 
Lamp — Wall Lamp — Elec- 
tric Candle Sconce — 
Newel Post Lamp — Chain 
Hung One Light Bracket. 

PRICE 25 CENTS 

Plain Instructions — Dimensioned Detail Draw- 
ings and Illustrations of Each Finished Design 

A handy little working manual of 96 pages, printed 
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or may be ordered direct from the publisher 

Popular Mechanics Book Department 
CHICAGO, ILL. 




READ THIS WONDERFUL STORY 

HEAT 

By J. GORDON OGDEN, Ph.D. 

PROF. OF PHYSICS, FIFTH AVENUE HIGH SCHOOL, PITTSBURG 



Price Postpaid, 25 Cents 

128 Pages Bound in Cloth Illustrated 

Thoroughly Understandable Instructive 

Immensely Interesting 

This book consists of a series of articles, 
each complete in itself, yet all pertaining 
to heat and its relation to modern mechanics. 

FEW people realize that fire is the most remarkable and 
valuable discovery ever made by man. Prior to this, man 
was brother to the brute, but with the coming of fire, 
came all the wonderful development that has enabled man to 
assert and defend his claim as lord of creation. We are only 
in the infancy of high temperature development, yet read 
of the harnessing of intense heat to the wheels of progress ; 
the contrivances whereby we are able to emulate the vol- 
cano in our laboratories so far as heat is concerned and weld 
steel rails in the street where they lie; the discovery of uses of 
rare metals in industrial lines by aid of heat. Investigation of 
the realm of low temperatures also discloses some wonderful 
facts. All these, and many other phases of this interesting 
subject are treated as shown by the following list of chapters: 

1— Nature of Heat and How It Is Measured. 2— How 
Low Temperatures Are Produced. 3— Some Effects of 
Low Temperature Upon Matter. 4— The Production 
and Uses of High Temperature. 5— High Tempera- 
tures and the Rare Metals. 6— How Heat Travels. 
7— How Heat is Measured. 8— Expansion and Con- 
traction. 9— Energy and Fuels. 10— The Manufacture 
of Artificial Ice. 11— Steam Boilers and Engines. 

POPULAR MECHANICS BOOK DEPT. 
CHICAGO, ILL. 



How to Make a 

Wireless Set 

By ARTHUR MOORE 

A book of 96 pages, bound in 
cloth, explaining in an under- 
standable manner the construc- 
tion of an outfit suitable for 
transmitting four or five miles. 
This set can be easily con- 
structed at a small cost by any 
boy of ordinary ability. 



Complete details with illustrations 



Price 25 Cents Postpaid 

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send direct to the publishers 

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A Book for which there 
is a Real Need 

practical 
JHecfjanical Bracing 

For individual study, shop classes, trade or 
high schools and those who would like to 
know something of the drafting profession. 

By WM. F. WILLARD 

Formerly Instructor in Mechanical Drawing at Armour 
Institute of Technology, Chicago 



n 



134 Pages 131 Illustrations Price 50c 

Size 5x7 Inches Cloth Cover 



CHAPTERS ARE DEVOTED TO: 

1 . Simple Geometric Exercises and their Application. 

2. Theory of Projections. 

3. Working Drawings and Exercises. 

4. Drafting Room Conventions. 

5. Development of Patterns. 

6. Penetrations and Developments for Sheet Metal 
Workers and Tinsmiths. 

7. Value of Isometric Drawings. 

8. Vocabulary of Technical Terms with Definitions. 

9. Equipment and Its Use. 
1 0. A Model Course for High Schools. 

SENT POSTPAID TO ANY ADDRESS BY THE PUBLISHERS 

jj. POPULAR MECHANICS CO., 225 Washington St., CHICAGO 
ln=ii===ii==ii==i i =i i =i i 



A NEW BOOK THAT IS NEEDED 



Power Gas and the 
Gas Producer 

ByJ.C. MILLER, M.E. 

An Authentic Text Book and a Complete Reference Manual 
Covering Every Detail of Installation and Operation 

The new method of adapting the latent power in 
coal to man's best use is still a mystery even to 
the well informed, because nearly all the literature 
on the subject has been written under the assump- 
tion that the reader knows as much about the sub- 
ject as the writer. A comprehensive treatise, clear 
of abstruse technicalities, in every way authentic, yet 

"Written So You Can Understand It" 

has therefore been needed for some time. Such is the book 

just published. Condensed summary of contents: 

Producer Gas— The Gas Producer— Chemistry of Producer Gas— 
Classes of Gas Producers— The Anthracite Producer— The Suction 
Producer— The Down-Blast Producer— Industrial Gases— Nitrogen- 
Natural Gas— Blast-Furnace Gas — Water Gas— Heat Values— Govern- 
ment Experiments— The Siemens Producer — The Wile Producer — 
The Smith Producer— The Taylor Gas Produder— The Loomis-Petti- 
bone Producer— The Morgan Gas Producer— Gas Producer Fuels- 
Use of Peat for Gas Producer Fuel— Lignite— Heat Loss in Steam 
Plant Compared with a Gas Producer Plant — Water Required in Gas 
Producer Plant— Cost of Repairs — Present Standing of Producer Gas 
—Producer Gas for Furnace Work— Stand-by Losses— Heat in the 
Engine— Cooling Water— Gas Holder— Noise Produced by Gas En- 
gines—The Gas Producer and the Smoke Problem— Producer Trou- 
bles — The Operator for the Gas Power Plant— Objections Urged 
Against the Gas Producer - Reliability of Gas Power— Compressed 
Air for Starting— The Gas Producer from the Insurance Standpoint— 
Capacity of the Gas Producer— Time Required to Start a Gas Pro- 
ducer Plant — Adaptation to Specific Use— Engines Should be Adapted 
to Fuel Used— The Erection of the Producer Plant— Building for a 
Gas Producer— Producer Casing— The Testing of Producer Gas- 
Starting a Gas Producer in Operation— Efficiency of a 500-Hp. Plant- 
Comparative Cost of Steam and Producer Gas Installation— Tables, 
Diagrams, etc., etc. 

Printed on the best quality of book paper, profusely illustrated with half- 
tones from photographs, diagrams, etc., and durably bound in extra cloth 



Price $1.00 Se rny P add p r«. to 200 Pages 



POPULAR MECHANICS CO., Publishers 

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MR. PATTERN-MAKER! 

BE A MASTER OF YOUR TRADE 

Our new book, just from the 
press, will help you to this end 

Pattern-Making 

By G. H. WILLARD 

With Additional Chapters on 

Core-Making and Molding 

224 PAGES 312 ILLUSTRATIONS CLOTH COVERS 

"Written So You Can Understand It" 

Price, $100 Postpaid 

A book for the man who has to do the work. Written 
by a practical pattern-maker of many years' experience. 
Gets right down to business in the first chapter and keeps 
it up throughout the book. Full of kinks and actual 
working information. Profusely illustrated. 

Chapter Headings 

I. Pattern-Making as a Trade. II. The Tools. HI. Woods. 
IV. Joints. V. Turning. VI. Turning (Continued). VII. 
Turning (Continued). VIII. Turning (Concluded). IX. 
The Circular Saw. X. The Circular Saw (Continued). XI. 
Machine Tools. XII. Machine Tools (Continued). XIII. 
Simple Patterns. XIV. Simple Patterns (Continued). XV. 
Simple Patterns (Concluded). XVI. Crooked Patterns. 
XVII. Large Pattern Work. XVIII. Large Pattern Work 
(Continued). XIX. Crosshead Guide Patterns. XX. Sweep 
Work. XXI. Pipe Work. XXII. Stove Pattern Work. XXIII. 
Molding— Machine Work. XXIV. Molding Pattern Work. 

Part II — Core Making and Molding 

Chapter I. Core-Making, Simple and Complex. II. Prin- 
ciples in Molding. III. Loam Patterns and Loam Molds. 

Everyone following this trade, or intending to learn it, should have 
a copy of this valuable book. 



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POPULAR MECHANICS CO., 225 Washington St., CHICAGO 



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POPULAR MECHANICS, 225 Washington Street, CHICAGO 



237 90 




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